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BR  121 

.T75 

1909 

The  Faith  and 
Christian 

life 

of 

a 

(Breen  ffunfc  JBoofc  Ifto.  t4 


THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF 
A  CHRISTIAN 


BY 

FI/)YD  W.  TOMKINS,  S.T.D.,  IJ*D. 

AUTHOR   OF   uFOEI<OWING  CHRIST,"    "BEACONS   ON  EIFE'S 
VOYAGE,"   ETC. 


PHILADELPHIA 

AMERICAN  SUNDAY-SCHOOL  UNION 

1816  Chestnut  Street 

1909 


Copyright,  1909,  by  thb  American  Sunday-School  Union. 


DEDICATED  TO 

Wm  gwwtaro  ^ttndaa-^cli00l  m»i0tt 

WHOSE  BOOKS  AND  WORKS 

HAVE   BEEN 

MY  DELIGHT  FROM   MY  YOUTH. 


EDITOR'S  NOTE. 


This  volume  is  issued  by  the  American  Sunday-School 
Union  under  the  John  C.  Green  Income  Fund.  The  Fund 
was  founded  in  1877,  by  Robert  Lenox  Kennedy,  on  behalf 
of  the  residuary  legatees  of  John  C.  Green,  and  with  the  cor- 
dial concurrence  of  Mrs.  Green.  Among  other  things,  the 
gift  provides  that  one -sixth  of  the  net  interest  and  income  of 
the  Fund  shall  be  set  aside;  and  whenever  the  same  amounts 
to  one  thousand  dollars  the  Union  shall  apply  the  sum  "for 
the  purpose  of  aiding  in  securing  a  Sunday-school  literature 
of  the  highest  order  of  merit."  This  may  be  done  "either  by 
procuring  works  upon  a  given  subject  germane  to  the  objects 
of  the  Society,  to  be  written  or  compiled  by  authors  of  estab- 
lished reputation  and  known  ability,  ...  or  by  offering 
premiums  for  manuscripts  suitable  for  publication  by  said 
Union,  in  accordance  with  the  purposes  and  objects  of  its  in- 
stitution." The  premium  plan  is  to  be  followed  at  least  once 
out  of  every  three  times.  The  Union  is  to  control  the  copy- 
right, reducing  the  price  of  the  book  in  consideration  thereof. 
The  individual  traits  and  responsibility  of  the  author  are 
retained  by  giving  him  large  liberty  respecting  the  literary 
form,  style  and  treatment  of  the  subject.  Three  prize  volumes 
have  been  issued  this  year  under  the  premium  plan. 

So  much  has  been  said  in  our  time  concerning  "new  the- 
ology," "new  religion,"  and  the  character  of  the  Bible,  that 
many  become  confused  and  perplexed  in  regard  to  the  ground 
of  their  religious  faith. 

It  seemed  timely,  therefore,  for  a  restatement  of  Christian 
truth  and  life,  in  terms  of  present-day  thought.  It  is  a  satis- 
faction to  the  American  Sunday-School  Union  to  be  able  to 
publish  this  practical  work  on  "  The  Faith  and  Life  of  a 
Christian,"  by  one  distinguished  as  a  minister  of  Jesus  Christ, 
and  competent  to  voice  anew  the  principles  of  the  kingdom 
of  God  laid  down  by  its  Founder,  and  to  re-echo  the  gospel 
call  to  personal  discipleship  in  that  kingdom. 

E.  W.  R. 
Philadelphia,  November,  1909, 


CONTENTS. 


PAGK 

Introduction 9 

CHAPTER  I. 
Christ  the  Centre 15 

CHAPTER  II. 
Man,  God's  Child  through  Christ 28 

CHAPTER  III. 
Christ's  Relationship  to  Man 42 

CHAPTER  IV. 
Man's  Relationship  to  Christ 56 

CHAPTER  V. 
The  Moral  Life , ,    70 

CHAPTER  VI. 
The  Life  of  Service 81 

CHAPTER  VII. 
Public  Life 90 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

The  Life  of  Fellowship 102 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Church  Life Ill 

CHAPTER  X. 

The  Means  of  Grace 123 

CHAPTER  XL 

The  Bible 132 

7 


3  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XII. 

PAGE 

Prayer 142 

CHAPTER  XIH. 
Public  Worship 150 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

The  Lord's  Supper 161 

CHAPTER  XV. 
Sacrifice 171 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
Consecration 181 

CHAPTER  XVII. 
The  Body 193 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 
The  Mind 202 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

The  Soul 213 

CHAPTER  XX. 
Temptations 224 

CHAPTER  XXI. 
Hope 233 

CHAPTER  XXII. 
Immortality 241 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 
The  Joy  of  the  Christian 251 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

Conclusion 259 

Index  265 


cer- 
tainty. 


INTRODUCTION. 

In*  these  days  when  much  of  novelty 
and  contradiction  faces  us  in  religious 
teaching  and  preaching,  a  simple  com- 
pendium of  the  essentials  of  Christianity 
as  they  have  been  held  from  the  first  is 
greatly  needed.  Men  are  confused  in  this  wen  want 
century  by  the  vagaries  of  modern  thought. 
They  know  not  what  to  believe,  and  they 
are  hungry  for  certainty,  that  their  religion 
may  comfort  and  sustain  them.  They 
can  hardly  credit  the  statement  that  God 
has  given  no  specific  revelation  as  to 
human  faith  and  human  life.  Like  Philip 
they  cry :  "  Show  us  the  Father,  and  it 
sufficeth  us."  And  all  the  while  the  quiet 
voice  of  Him  Who  came  and  lived  amongst 
us  that  men  might  know,  is  sounding  its 
pathetic  answer :  "  Have  I  been  so  long  time 
with  you,  and  yet  hast  thou  not  known 
me  ?  "  However  the  application  of  the  mes- 
sages of  the  Christ  may  vary  in  their  adap- 
tation to  the  needs  of  individuals  and  ages, 
the  one  Truth  remains  the  same ;  for  Jesus 
9 


10  INTRODUCTION. 

Christ  is  the  same,  yesterday,  and  to-day, 
and  forever.  We  must  bring  men  back 
to  the  old  Gospel  foundation  which  can 
never  change,  and  then  they  can  be  fear- 
less in  the  midst  of  confusion  and  in  their 
own  strength  inspire  others  with  courage. 
Perplexing  There  is  also  much  perplexity  to-day  as 
tions.  to  the  relationship  between  faith  and  duty. 
Men  question  not  only  the  basis  of  moral- 
ity, but  as  well  the  power  of  Christianity 
to  make  the  life  pure  and  the  heart  brave. 
They  want  the  comfort  of  religion  to  guide 
them  in  the  daily  conflict,  and  the  peace 
of  God  to  enable  them  to  face  calmly  and 
hopefully  the  future.  "  Is  not  your  faith 
something  by  which  we  may  live  ?  "  they 
cry.  "  If  it  is  a  fact,  then  we  are  ready 
to  accept  it,  but  it  must  prove  itself  worthy 
of  our  acceptance  by  the  power  it  can  give." 
The  story  of  the  church  in  the  world 
ought  to  bring  an  answer;  but  few  read 
history  and  fewer  understand  it.  That  the 
only  power  amongst  men  to  guide  and 
comfort  and  inspire  is  Christianity;  that 
the  Lord  is  amongst  His  people  always, 
and  that  He  knows,  and  cares,  and  blesses 
all  who  will  accept  His  priceless  gifts, — 
this  is  not  commonly  understood.  Why 
this  is  so,  when  we  have  so  many  churches 


INTRODUCTION.  11 

and  so  many  preachers  and  so  many  Sun- 
day-schools and  Bible  Classes,  cannot  be 
explained  in  a  paragraph,  but  few  will 
deny  the  indictment.  If  in  any  way  we 
can  turn  from  strong  meat  to  the  sincere 
milk  of  the  Word ;  if  we  can  go  back  and 
read  the  old  story  with  new  delight  and 
cheer,  then  there  is  assurance  for  us.  To 
bring  again  the  very  alphabet  of  Christian 
truth,  that  men  may  learn  to  spell  God's 
goodness,  is  the  purpose  of  this  little  book. 
With  all  its  imperfections,  it  claims  that 
what  it  says  is  true. 

It  has  not  entered  into  the  scope  of  our 
pages  to  notice,  still  less  to  answer,  modern 
criticisms  of  the  Bible  or  of  the  Gospel. 
Wise  men  have  done  this  and  done  it  well. 
Sufficient  is  it  for  our  purpose  to  make 
positive    statements   of   the    "faith   once 
delivered."    We  do  not  need  in  these  days 
to  lay  again  the  foundations;  it  were  an 
impertinence,  if  not  an  act  of  irreverence, 
so  to  do.     What  is  needed  is  a  strong  re-  Message  to 
iteration  of  the  message  which  has  brought     Jj^ 
peace  and  progress  wherever  it  has  been 
delivered   for   1900   years.      Even   as   we 
turn  again  and  again  to  some  dear  Bible 
verse  which  we  have  known  from  our  child- 
hood and  find  it  ever  new  and  inspiring,  so 


INTRODUCTION. 

we — though  we  may  be  most  devout  and 
orthodox — need  to  "  rehearse  the  articles 
of  our  belief,"  that,  like  water  to  the 
thirsty,  they  may  refresh  and  save  us. 
The  aged  Christian  dies  with  the  words 
upon  his  lips  which  he  learned  in  child- 
hood from  his  mother.  So  our  strength 
in  life's  battle,  and  our  grace  for  dying, 
lie  in  no  new  revelation,  but  in  the  old 
fount  of  divine  glory  which  flows  and  has 
ever  flowed  from  Christ,  the  Eternal  Son 
of  God. 

]STo  attempt  has  been  made  to  treat  the 
Gospel  theologically  in  this  book.  Able 
men  have  done  this  for  those  who  are  to 
teach  and  to  instruct  teachers.  This  is 
rather  a  devotional  treatment ;  for  the  vast 
majority  of  Christians  it  satisfies  the  need 
to  appeal  to  the  heart  rather  than  to  the 
head,  so  long  as  the  appeal  is  based  upon 
exact  truth.  It  is  hoped,  therefore,  that 
this  book  may  be  helpful  to  many  who 
desire  a  knowledge  of  Christian  truth,  and 
may  serve  as  a  companion  in  the  religious 
life.  Like  all  human  productions  it  is 
faulty;  but  being  written  with  sincere 
prayer  for  guidance  it  is  sent  forth  with  a 
reliance  upon  the  Holy  Spirit,  that  He 
may  both  pardon  its  imperfections  and  use 


INTRODUCTION.  13 

it  for  the  advancement  of  God's  glory  and 
the  building  up  of  His  children.  With 
the  benediction  of  God  even  the  simplest 
effort  may  accomplish  great  good.  May 
such  a  benediction  go  with  these  pages! 
Floyd  W.  Tomkins. 

Philadelphia,  1909. 

Church  of  the  Holy  Trinity. 


THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF 
A  CHRISTIAN. 


CHAPTEK  L 

CHRIST  THE  CENTRE. 

Untie  Christ  came  to  earth  there  was 
no  clear  knowledge  as  to  life's  origin  or 
meaning  or  end.  The  patriarchs  believed 
in  God,  but  He  was  only  a  God  superior 
to  the  gods  of  the  heathen  nations  about 
them.  God  revealed  Himself  to  the  Jews 
through  Moses  and  the  Prophets,  but  still 
He  was  veiled  in  His  being  and  in  His 
nature.  By  inspiration  the  great  writers 
made  the  veil  thin  and  gave  utterance  to 
glorious  truths,  but  we  understand  their 
words  better  than  even  the  men  who  uttered 
them  because  Christ  has  come  and  told  us 
their  meaning.  We  hardly  realize,  until 
we  stop  to  think  of  it,  how  the  Old  Testa- 
ment is  full  of  comfort  and  assurance  to 
15 


16  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

us  because  the  Master  has  made  it  so.  In 
a  lesser  way  the  words  of  some  great  Ro- 
man and  Greek  writers,  though  uninspired, 
help  us  because  we  read  them  as  they  are 
lighted  up  by  the  eternal  and  blessed  glow 
of  the  Light  of  the  World.  Marcus  Aure- 
lius  and  Socrates,  about  whom  men  are 
talking  much  to-day,  bring  us  good  mes- 
sages because  we  read  into  them  the  very 
atmosphere  of  Christianity.  Of  every- 
thing, life's  beginning,  life's  endurance, 
life's  pleasure  or  pain,  and  life's  end, 
Jesus  Christ  is  the  interpretation. 
Jesus  the  \ye  neec{  t0  fix  our  minds  upon  this  great 
preter  of  event  of  the  world's  history.  Christianity 
1  e'  is  not  a  religion ;  it  is  not  a  philosophy, 

or  a  moral  code,  or  a  theory  to  account  for 
man's  progress.  It  is  a  great,  glorious  fact. 
God  came  to  earth  in  the  Person  of  Jesus 
Christ.  He  was  here  amongst  men  and 
made  clear  that  which  had  never  been  clear 
before ;  and  in  the  light  of  that  life,  in  the 
power  of  Christ's  death  and  resurrection 
and  ascension,  the  world  has  been  moving 
ever  since.  Men,  Jews  and  heathen  alike, 
were  confused  and  weary  before  Christ 
came.  It  was  a  strange  career  they  were 
running,  and  they  could  see  no  purpose  or 
promise  in  it  at  all.     The  story  the  his- 


CHRIST  THE  CENTRE.  17 

torians  tell  us  of  the  world's  condition, 
moral,  intellectual  and  religious,  before  the 
hour  came  when  the  angels  began  their 
carol  on  Bethlehem's  hills — that  grand  pro- 
cessional in  the  worship  which  has  never 
ceased — is  a  startling  one.  Everything 
was  riotous  in  life  and  brain  and  nation. 
Apparently  men  had  tried  in  every  way  to 
reach  happiness,  and  in  every  way  had 
failed.  There  was  nothing  left.  Life  was 
simply  "  a  muddle,"  and  no  one  could  en- 
lighten himself  or  his  fellows  regarding  it. 
The  clouds  hung  heavily;  love's  song  had 
died  away,  for  it  had  been  sung  as  an  ex- 
pression of  hunger  rather  than  as  an  as- 
surance; good  and  evil  were  confused,  and 
there  was  no  plan  by  which  they  could  be 
distinguished;  work  was  a  mockery;  gov- 
ernment a  confused  failure;  home  a  name 
only;  thought  a  demon  driving  men  to  de- 
spair. What  was  there  to  anticipate? 
What  power  had  memory,  since  there  was 
no  radiance  by  which  the  past  could  be 
made  clear  ?  Men  were  all  either  Stoics  or 
Epicureans,  practically;  the  former,  few 
in  number,  crying :  "  We  know  nothing 
and  can  know  nothing,  but  let  us  endure 
it  and  die  like  men;  "  the  latter  shouting: 
"  We  know  nothing  and  can  know  nothing ; 


18  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

let  us  yield  to-day  to  the  delights  of  passion, 
for  to-morrow  we  die." 
Light  of  And  then  came  this  glorious  daybreak, 

world.  The  Light  of  the  World  appeared.  He 
did  not  burn  the  world  of  men  by  a  maj- 
esty they  could  not  endure.  He  did  not 
drive  them  as  enemies  until  they  submitted 
to  a  rule  of  righteousness  and  faith.  Oh, 
the  very  marvel  of  the  manner  of  that 
coming  proves  its  divine  blessedness  and 
power !  For  Jesus  just  shone  as  a  light  in 
a  darkened  world,  and  men  kindled  their 
little  tapers  at  the  flame  of  His  holiness, 
and  the  glow  began  to  spread,  just  as  the 
glow  of  the  rising  sun  spreads  from  moun- 
tain-top to  sea,  and  from  tree  to  flower, 
gradually,  surely,  comfortingly.  A  hun- 
dred years,  and  the  world  was  practically 
revolutionized,  "  turned  ....  upside 
down "  as  the  Thessalonians  said  (Acts 
17:6).  The  seed  was  sown.  The  light 
was  kindled.  Jesus  was  worshipped. 
Christianity  had  begun  its  work.  Christ 
henceforth  was  to  stand  as  the  Centre  of 
the  world. 

It  must  not  be  thought  to  detract  from 
this  glory  that  the  world  is  still  so  far 
from  a  perfect  condition.  Light  travels 
speedily,  and  yet  the  light  of  some  star 


CHRIST  THE  CENTRE.  19 

which  began  speeding  on  its  way,  astrono- 
mers tell  us,  six  thousand  years  ago,  has 
only  just  reached  us.  So  the  Almighty 
works  in  nature;  the  seed,  the  blade,  the 
full  corn  in  the  ear.  To  us  it  seems  a  slow 
progress  which  humanity  is  making.  And 
yet  when  we  look  at  the  earth's  history  in 
a  large  way,  the  progress  has  really  been 
startling.  The  ground  had  to  be  prepared 
over  a  large  portion  of  the  world  before 
any  planting  could  be  done.  The  early 
Christians  did  not  even  know  what  the 
earth  was;  they  could  only  go  to  adjacent 
places  and  preach.  Through  the  "  dark 
ages  "  as  we  call  them,  from  the  5th  to  the 
12th  centuries,  the  preparation  was  going 
on.  And  in  these  latter  days  the  truth  is 
speeding  so  rapidly  that  to  trace  its  ad- 
vance almost  causes  us  to  grow  dizzy. 
Every  nation  and  every  island  of  the  sea 
is  now  ready  for  the  message  of  Christ,  and 
Christian  men  are  straining  every  nerve 
to  preach  it.  We  are  living  in  a  mission- 
ary era  such  as  the  world  has  never  known. 

As  Christ  is  the  Centre  of  the  world's  Christ  the 
life,  so  He  is  the  Centre  of  the  individual 
life.    We  have  grown  so  familiar  with  our 
blessings    that    we    scarcely    realize    their 
glory.     The  man  looks  at  his  years,  and 


20  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

they  no  longer,  as  did  the  years  of  the 
ancients  who  knew  not  the  Lord,  pass  as  a 
vapor.  He  knows — even  if  he  is  not 
really  a  personal  follower  of  Christ — that 
there  is  a  God  Who  made  him,  a  God  to 
meet  him  when  he  dies,  and  a  work  to  be 
done  while  he  lives.  From  God,  for  God, 
to  God — so  the  interpretation  of  existence 
runs,  and  the  man  knows  it,  feels  it,  ac- 
knowledges it  by  every  act  of  every  day. 
In  the  light  which  Christ  kindled  every 
man  is  basking;  everything  about  him, 
every  thought  and  emotion  within  him, 
bears  witness  to  Christ.  The  nation  in 
which  he  peaceably  lives  and  pursues  his 
business;  the  home  in  whose  sacred  con- 
fines he  finds  his  rest;  the  schools  which 
care  for  his  children;  the  physicians  who 
heal  his  sickness;  the  food  he  eats,  the 
books  he  reads,  the  friendships  he  forms — 
about  them  all  shines  this  blessed  Chris- 
tian atmosphere  which  has  become  so  nat- 
ural a  thing  that  he  hardly  thinks  of  it 
any  more  than  he  thinks  of  the  air  he 
breathes  or  the  pulsations  of  his  heart 
which  keep  him  alive.  Take  away  from 
any  man  his  conscious  or  unconscious  faith 
in  Christ — and  I  do  not  except  even  those 
who  pretend  to  deny  the  Christ — and  he 


CHRIST  THE  CENTRE.  21 

is  absolutely  lost,  so  strongly  has  the  Mas- 
ter established  Himself  as  the  Centre  about 
Whom  all  human  existence  revolves.  This 
needs  no  proof;  it  is  self-evident.  A 
life  from  which  the  Christ  has  gone  with 
all  the  direct  and  indirect  influence  of  His 
love,  His  patience,  His  truth,  His  prom- 
ises, His  forgiveness,  His  Heaven!  Why, 
it  is  impossible  to  conceive  of  it  until  you 
reduce  man  to  the  level  of  the  unintelligent 
and  unemotional  beast !  Not  only  is  Chris- 
tianity as  a  fact,  a  power  in  the  world  and 
in  his  companion's  life,  something  for 
which  the  man  must  account  and  with 
which  he  must  deal,  but  he  himself  is  in- 
fluenced by  the  personal  Christ ;  daily  His 
teachings  mold  or  seek  to  mold  his  life; 
hourly  His  words  come  to  his  lips,  and  con- 
stantly his  judgments  are  fashioned  by  the 
magnetic  and  divine  example  of  the  Mas- 
ter Who  made  love  and  sacrifice  the  prin- 
ciples of  living. 

Let  us  go  a  little  more  into  particulars,  Of  right 
and  see  how  Christ  is  the  Centre  of  the  JJL. 
world's  life  and  of  the  personal  life  of  each 
man.  And  first,  wTe  note  the  way  in  which 
right  and  wrong  are  referred  to  Him  for 
judgment.  Christianity,  not  as  preached 
by  men,  but  as  taught  by  the  Master,  is  the 


wrong. 


THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

centre  of  decision  to  which  are  brought 
alike  abstract  questions  and  particular 
issues.  We  can  read  England's  Magna 
Charta  and  the  Declaration  of  Independ- 
ence and  know  that  they  proceeded  from 
no  Christless  governments.  Constitutions 
of  nations  and  special  court  decisions, 
arbitration  settlements  and  legal  opinions 
are  so  based,  not  upon  the  power  of  the 
stronger  over  the  weaker  but  upon  the 
foundations  of  mercy  and  love  and  sacri- 
fice, that  an  easy  analysis  can  bring  them 
all  to  balance  with  the  Lord's  direct  teach- 
ings. And  with  the  individual  where  a 
keener  personal  equation  enters,  under  all 
questions  of  duty  and  fairness  and  even  of 
mercy,  arises  inevitably  the  query :  "  Is 
this  what  God  wishes  ?  "  Christ  revealed 
sin  as  not  merely  a  breaking  of  law  but  as 
a  wounding  of  the  love  and  desire  of  our 
Best  Friend.  Not  consciously  always  or 
often  do  we  measure  right  or  wrong  by  an 
exact  comparison  with  Christ's  life  or  an 
absolute  adherence  to  His  words;  but  so 
nearly  has  He  entered  into  our  living  with 
His  loving  guardianship  that  we  instinc- 
tively look  to  Him  for  approval,  and  can 
instantly  tell  whether  we  have  it  or  not. 
In  other  words  right   and  wrong  are  no 


CHRIST  THE  CENTRE.  23 

longer  measured  by  power  or  by  wrath  or 
even  by  the  disguised  vengeance  which  we 
poor  humans  call  "  punishment/'  but  by 
the  will  of  God.  Philosophy  and  the 
psychology  of  legal  ethics  are  forgotten; 
might  which  used  to  make  right  is  dis- 
credited; abstract  decisions  disregarding 
circumstances  are  not  recognized.  A 
higher  law  has  entered  which  no  statute 
can  adequately  frame  nor  any  words  shape 
in  perfection ;  it  is  the  law  of  the  di- 
vine will  revealed  to  us  by  Him  Who  came 
to  earth  nineteen  hundred  years  ago. 
"  What  wilt  thou  have  me  to  do  ?  "  That 
cry  of  St.  Paul,  stricken  on  his  way  to 
Damascus,  has  become  the  guide  to  action, 
and  has  made  Him  to  Whom  it  was  ad- 
dressed the  one  Arbiter  in  the  affairs  of 
men. 

Again,  we  mark  Christ  as  the  Centre  in  Of  human 
our  human  relationships.  How  can  we  g^ 
explain  the  rapid  spread  of  the  brother- 
hood idea,  which  is  drawing  nations  to- 
gether and  entering  with  daring  into  the 
economics  of  life  so  that  no  man  can  carry 
on  his  business  regardless  of  the  interests 
of  producer  and  consumer?  Is  it  born 
out  of  an  irreligious  philosophy?  Traces 
of  it  can  be  found  in  the  best  thought  of 


THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

Greece  and  Rome,  but  it  received  no 
credence.  Is  it  the  result  of  association? 
Nations  dwelt  side  by  side  for  long  and 
knew  no  brotherhood  in  either  theory  or 
practice.  We  find  the  germ  in  the  early 
Church,  a  seed  planted  by  the  Master  and 
slowly  but  surely  developing  until  to-day 
slavery  is  unknown  and  men  are  judged 
by  character  rather  than  by  the  color  of 
their  skin  or  by  their  bank  account.  If 
slow  in  coming  to  recognition  and  not  yet 
complete  in  its  influence,  we  can  have  no 
hesitation,  if  we  think  and  read  at  all,  in 
saying  that  this  brotherhood  idea  is  in  the 
air  to-day  and  in  the  air  with  such  com- 
manding power  that  nations  and  men  are 
looking  up  and  reconstructing  their  old 
methods  to  meet  its  imperious  edicts. 
Men  are  talking  a  great  deal  to-day  about 
socialism.  Well,  there  are  many  kinds  of 
socialism,  some  of  them  wild,  some  foolish, 
some  impossible;  but  true  socialism  is 
simply  brotherhood,  and  our  Christ  in  that 
regard  has  been  termed,  and  rightly,  the 
first  Socialist  because  He  taught  the  prin- 
ciples of  man's  brotherhood  as  deduced 
from  the  fact  of  God's  fatherhood.  Indi- 
vidualism, which  led  every  man  to  do  that 
which  was  right  in  his  own  eyes,  is  as  dead 


CHRIST  THE  CENTRE.  25 

to-day  as  the  old  philosophers  who  first  gave 
it  expression.  It  will  never  know  a  resur- 
rection. And  the  reason  why  a  man  should 
love  his  brother  is  found  in  no  evolution  of 
a  human  idea  but  in  the  direct  power  of 
that  dear  faith  which  the  Lord  Jesus  gave, 
and  which,  after  all  these  years,  is  coming 
to  the  throne. 

Yet  once  more,  Christ  is  the  Centre  as  Hope  of 
regards  the  hope  of  the  future.  Men  have  ture# 
always  had  unconquerable  hope.  They 
could  not  believe  that  death  was  the  end  of 
all.  But  alas !  how  little  this  hope  availed 
until  Christ  came  and  brought  life  and  im- 
mortality to  light!  Shall  we  meet  again? 
Shall  we  live  again  ?  And  eye  sought  eye 
in  the  burning  desire  that  some  assurance, 
might  be  given,  but  no  assurance  came.  It 
was  all  a  big  interrogation  point  with  the 
balance  in  favor  of  final  extinction.  Those 
were  sad  years,  as  sad  as  is  now  the  life  of 
one  who,  in  the  midst  of  Christian  sunshine 
still  rests  in  the  shadow  of  despair.  But 
the  clouds  have  gone !  Death  is  swallowed 
up  in  victory!  The  Master  of  Life  not 
only  rose  from  the  dead  but  He  declared 
concerning  the  future  such  glorious  things 
that  human  life  has  been  ringing  with  them 
ever  since.     ~No  wonder  the   world's   ad- 


hope. 


26  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

vance  began  as  Christ  was  preached!  En- 
large man's  atmosphere,  proclaim  his  im- 
mortality, and  nothing  is  impossible  for 
him.  If  I  know  I  am  going  to  live  forever 
then  the  wings  of  my  flight  are  undipped 
and  my  feet  and  hands  unpalsied,  and  I 
am  free  and  strong. 
Results  of  It  would  take  volumes  to  tell  all  that  has 
come  to  us  as  a  result  of  this  hope  which 
is  a  certainty  through  Christ.  All  the 
marvels  of  discovery  and  invention,  all  the 
fearlessness  of  endeavor  and  struggle,  all 
the  emancipations  from  gloom  and  selfish- 
ness, the  deepening  of  friendships,  the 
holiness  of  relationships,  the  assurance  of 
final  understanding  where  things  here  are 
perplexing,  the  mutual  binding  of  hearts 
and  hands  in  high  deeds  of  mercy  and 
goodness — these  are  only  suggestions  of 
what  it  means  to  say  that  Christ  is  the 
Centre  of  the  world's  hope.  ISTo  longer 
have  we  any  horizon  to  shut  us  in.  As  I 
look  from  my  window  and  see  the  ocean 
and  sky  meeting,  yet  know,  notwithstand- 
ing, of  the  lands  beyond  where  the  earth's 
hills  still  leap  and  flowers  make  fragrant 
the  laughter  of  my  brothers,  so  I  look  to 
the  sky  and  it  is  no  longer  brass,  for  I  can 
see  through  it  and  hear  the  songs  of  the 


CHRIST  THE  CENTRE.  27 

redeemed,  and  know  that  I  have  a  place 
beyond  when  my  place  here  shall  know  me 
no  more.  You  ask  me  how  I  know,  and  I 
point  you  to  Christ,  and  then  to  the  world's 
life,  and  then  to  human  progress;  and 
then  I  bid  you  listen  and  hear  the  glad  cry 
going  up  from  human  lips  all  over  the 
round  world — a  cry  of  victory,  a  Te  Deum 
of  magnificent  praise  in  which  God's  works 
on  earth  and  the  angels  of  Heaven  join. 
Christ  is  the  Centre  of  it  all. 

O,  Galilean,  Thou  hast  conquered! 
Though  still  poor  weakness  holds  us,  and 
we  are  sin-stained  as  men  who  are  travel- 
ling, yet  Thou  art  our  glory,  for  Thou  art 
the  Centre  of  all  things  and  of  all  living. 
Let  my  little  life  revolve  about  Thine  that 
it  may  shine  in  Thy  light.  Let  my  mind 
fly  to  Thee,  that  it  may  think  Thy  thoughts. 
Let  my  heart  be  touched  by  Thy  love  that 
I  may  do  Thy  will.  Yea,  dear  Christ,  let 
me  see  Thee,  face  to  face,  in  all  pure- 
heartedness,  that  I  may  know  myself  to  be 
held  in  Thine  arms,  and  that  I  am  a  part 
of  Thy  plan  and  a  child  of  Thy  mercy. 
Amen. 


CHAPTER  II. 


MAN,    GODS    CHILD   THROUGH   CHEIST. 

We  have  seen  that  Christ  is  the  Centre 
of  all  life.  He  is  the  Power  about  Whom 
all  move,  and  we  gain  our  significance  from 
Him  as  the  earth  gains  her  light  and  her 
seasons  by  revolving  around  the  sun. 
Without  Him  we  cannot  live.  Only  as  we 
live  in  and  through  Him  can  we  accom- 
plish anything. 
God's  Let  us  see  now  what  Christianity  has 

to  say  about  our  relationship  to  God 
through  Jesus  Christ.  We  need  to  under- 
stand this  in  order  to  know  how  we  can 
approach  God.  If  He  is  a  great  Being  far 
removed  from  us,  a  mighty  Force  unknow- 
able and  unknown,  a  Mystery  concerning 
Whom  one  can  only  conjecture;  or  if  He 
be  hidden  entirely  from  us  so  that,  as  some 
of  our  modern  philosophers  declare,  we  can 
only  say  He  is  absolutely  incomprehensible 
and  the  idea  of  Him  is  inconceivable,  then 
we  are  virtually  fatherless;  we  are  ignor- 
28 


MAN,  GOD'S  CHILD  THROUGH  CHRIST.  29 

ant  of  our  beginning,  we  know  not  whence 
we  came.  But  if  God  has  been  revealed  to 
us  so  that  we  can  both  know  and  love  Him, 
so  that  we  can  talk  to  Him  and  hear  Him 
speak  to  us,  then  we  have  the  delight  of 
children  and  can  realize  our  importance 
as  children  of  God.  ISTow  Christianity 
teaches  us  that  God  has  been  revealed  to  us 
through  Christ.  "  He  that  hath  seen  me 
hath  seen  the  Father,"  said  our  Lord  (St. 
John  14:  9).  And  Jesus  told  us  just  what 
our  relationship  is  to  the  great  Creator  of 
heaven  and  earth ;  we  are  the  "  children 
of  God."  Children  of  God!  That  is  a 
startling  and  wonderful  truth!  We  love 
our  parents,  and  he  is  a  poor  child  who  has 
no  pride  in  being  his  father's  son,  his 
mother's  offspring.  Our  first  conception 
as  infants  is  of  a  mother.  Our  first  words 
are  formed  by  our  conscious  relationship 
to  her.  There  is  a  holiness  in  the  cry  we 
hear  from  children's  lips :  "  Mamma ! 
Papa !  "  Yet  there  is  a  truth  holier  and 
grander.  The  "  Lord  of  all  being,  throned 
afar,"  as  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes  calls 
Him,  is  my  Father.  He  Who  made  and 
rules  and  controls  and  holds  the  destiny 
of  all  things  in  His  hands,  made  me,  is  the 
origin  of  my  being.    Human  though  I  am, 


God  as 
power. 


30  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

I  am  divine  by  creation.  Weak  though  I 
am,  I  have  the  power  of  the  Infinite  be- 
hind me.  To  remember  that  is  to  know 
self-reverence. 

At  first  God  was  only  known  to  men  as 
a  mighty  hidden  power.  He  talked,  in- 
deed, to  Adam  and  to  Noah,  but  they 
never  seemed  to  realize  their  relationship 
to  Him,  either  because  of  their  imperfect 
development  or  because  God  veiled  Him- 
self under  the  guise  of  an  angel.  They 
offered  sacrifices  to  Him  on  altars  as  the 
heathen  do  to-day.  They  cried  to  Him  in 
their  fear  as  the  wicked  do  to-day.  But 
they  did  not  know  Him.  At  last  through 
Abraham  God  let  men  know  that  He  was 
their  Creator,  and  that  brought  Him  nearer, 
though  it  is  doubtful  whether  the  patri- 
archs understood  the  meaning  of  Father- 
hood. To  Moses  God  revealed  Himself 
as  a  Being  Who  must  be  obeyed,  a  Being 
of  Power  Who  could  work  miracles,  and 
destroy  and  build  up.  And  to  the  prophets 
He  came  nearer  still  and  gave  promise  that 
at  some  future  time  He  would  come 
amongst  His  people.  But  that  is  all  we 
can  get  out  of  the  Old  Testament.  Men 
crying  "  Oh,  that  I  knew  where  I  might 
find  him/'  and  dying  without  the  sight  or 


JUAN,  GOD'S  CHILD  THROUGH  CHRIST.  31 

the  knowledge.  In  the  New  Testament 
the  sun  rises  and  darkness  flees  away. 
God,  Who  made  man,  came  to  earth  in 
Jesus  Christ.  And  Christ  took  us  who 
were  God's  children  by  creation,  but  wan- 
dering far  away  in  ignorance  and  sin,  and 
made  us  God's  children  by  adoption,  made 
us  heirs  of  His  Kingdom,  the  children  of 
His  everlasting  love  and  care.  Now  all 
who  will,  all  who  accept  Christ's  leader- 
ship, can  see  in  three  directions  the  mercy 
of  God :  His  creation  behind  them,  for  they 
came  from  God;  His  recreation  in  their 
lives,  for  through  Christ  they  are  made 
new  in  heart  and  spirit;  His  final  exalta- 
tion, for  at  last  they  shall  see  Him  as  He 
is,  see  Him  face  to  face,  and  know  Him 
even  as  He  now  knows  them. 

Let  us  pause  here  for  a  moment  to  medi-  God's 
tate  on  this  great  truth  which  can  be  told 
in  so  few  words.  How  marvellous  it  is! 
Here  am  I,  with  a  part  of  my  life  behind 
me, — and  it  is  not  a  very  creditable  part ; 
I  have  not  much  to  be  proud  of  in  the 
years  I  have  lived;  no  man  has.  In  the 
present  I  feel  my  weakness,  beset  as  I  am 
by  temptations  and  fears  and  trials,  and 
the  way  at  best  is  very  lonesome.  The 
future,  many  years  or  few  I  know  not,  is 


mercy. 


32  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

all  uncertain.  At  last  death,  and  the  world 
of  new  men  forgets  me !  What  a  miser- 
able lot!  Is  it  worth  while?  But  look 
towards  the  East!  See  the  faint  light 
driving  the  shadows  before  it!  Mark  the 
glowing  radiance  as  hill  and  valley,  sea 
and  sky,  leaf  and  flower  are  tipped  with 
glorious  color.  Then  look,  the  sun  brings 
his  golden  light,  the  brilliancy  of  his  power 
asserts  itself,  the  night  is  gone,  day  is 
here.  So  the  Sun  of  righteousness  came 
long  ago  to  a  weary,  dispirited  race.  At 
first  the  light  was  dim  and  men  could  only 
hope.  Then  the  coloring  came  to  life  and 
there  was  a  transfiguration.  And  finally 
the  full  glory  of  Christ  appeared  and  man 
was  given  his  freedom.  "  Let  there  be 
light,"  cried  again  He  Who  was  the  Light 
of  the  World,  and  then  the  human  learned 
in  the  day  of  Christianity  that  which  has 
given  him  the  wings  of  immortality.  I 
look  behind  me  now,  and  at  the  horizon  is 
God.  I  look  before  me,  and  on  the  banks 
of  the  River  I  see  God  waiting  for  me.  I 
look  around  me,  and  lo,  each  task  and  each 
trial  carries  my  name,  inscribed  thereon  by 
the  finger  of  God ;  they  are  mine,  given  to 
me  by  Him.  From  God,  to  God,  for  God 
— that  is  my  life.     And  the  sin?,  the  fail- 


MAN,  GOD'S  CHILD  THROUGH  CHRIST.  33 

ures,  the  doubts  can  no  more  bar  my  way 
to  my  King  than  the  fly  which  stings  his 
cheek  can  bar  the  way  to  the  soldier  who 
is  rushing  to  the  hill  where  the  banner  of 
victory  is  waving. 

How  Christ  did  this  for  us,  how  He  Redemp- 

tive 

made  us  God's  reclaimed  children,  we  will  power, 
tell  later.  Let  us  now  see  what  the  actual 
power  of  Christ's  redemption  means  to  us 
in  our  daily  living.  And  first  of  all,  it 
means  a  clear  knowledge  of  our  origin  and 
our  end.  It  seems  strange  if  we  can  tell 
whence  things  about  us  came  and  yet  be 
ignorant  whence  we  ourselves  came.  This 
watch  was  made  by  a  watchmaker;  it  did 
not  make  itself.  This  book  was  written  by 
a  man;  he  thought  the  truths  it  contains, 
and  the  printer  took  his  words  and  pressed 
them  upon  paper,  and  other  men  can  read 
them.  This  flower  grew  from  a  seed  or  a 
bulb  planted  in  the  ground.  But  whence 
came  I  ?  Did  any  man  make  me  ?  Is 
there  any  ground  whence  I  sprang,  I,  with 
my  thoughts  and  longings  and  hopes  and 
loves  ?  Who  made  me  ?  The  watchmaker 
made  the  watch,  but  who  made  the  watch- 
maker and  gave  him  his  skill  ?  The  man 
wrote  the  book,  but  who  made  the  author 
and  whence   came  his  thoughts?     To  be 


34  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN, 

unable  to  answer  that  question  is  to  be 
wrapt  in  the  deepest  gloom.  If  I  cannot 
assert  my  origin  I  am  a  waif  indeed.  But 
here  comes  my  declaration  leaping  out  of 
my  lips,  my  eyes,  my  heart :  "  God  made 
me;  He  is  my  Father;  He  was  once  on 
earth  and  men  saw  Him  and  He  told  them 
the  truth ;  He  made  us  worthy  of  our  high 
birth  and  took  us  by  the  hand,  all  cleansed 
and  gloriously  clothed,  and  brought  us  to 
God.  I  know  Who  made  me !  "  What  a 
splendid  cry  of  victorious  knowledge  that 
is  as  it  rings  through  the  dull  earth-ways 
and  rises  in  the  air  with  its  song!  It  is 
the  Christian's  cry.  He  knows.  His 
Christ  has  told  him. 
Sonship  Again,   this  knowledge  of  our  sonship 

service,  and  of  the  Fatherhood  of  God  inspires  to 
noble  service.  Everything  we  do  becomes 
intelligible.  We  are  no  longer  "  hewing 
out  roads  to  a  wall."  Our  "  long,  laborious 
quest "  is  not  a  blind  effort  to  sustain  life 
and  escape  pain.  As  the  interest  of  the 
Prince  is  the  care  of  the  King's  realm,  so 
the  son  of  God  knows  he  has  God's  work 
to  do,  and  all  things,  little  and  great,  in- 
significant or  apparently  of  great  impor- 
tance, are  a  part  of  the  service  He  calls 
upon  him  to  render.     In  other  words  life 


MAN,  GOD'S  CHILD  THROUGH  CHRIST.  35 

becomes  full  of  meaning  and  full  of  power. 
Every  task,  every  opportunity,  every  word, 
every  relationship  is  exalted,  for  it  is  a 
part  of  the  Almighty's  plan  which  He  has 
placed  His  children  here  on  earth  to  exe- 
cute. "  Christ  set  men  to  work,"  cried  a 
man  once  after  reading  the  Gospel  through. 
Yes,  He  set  men  to  work,  or  rather  He 
threw  a  new  meaning  and  power  into  the 
work  men  were  already  doing.  We  are 
working  now  as  God's  redeemed  sons. 

It  is  only  as  this,  new  light  shines  upon  Light  and 
us  that  we  can  really  live.  Existence  is  a  e* 
poor  thing  for  human  beings.  Stones 
exist,  and  through  God's  will  and  man's 
service  they  are  forced  into  use.  But  man 
lives.  He  is  a  factor.  He  takes  things  by 
the  power  of  his  Maker  and  fashions  them. 
That  is  the  great  secret  which  unlocks  his- 
tory and  the  advance  of  humanity  since 
Christ  came,  and  without  it  all  the  past  is 
but  confusion  even  as  all  the  future  must 
be  mystery.  It  makes  clear  the  struggles 
and  the  pains.  If  man  was  made  God's 
son  through  the  sufferings  of  Christ,  then 
man  can  hardly  hope  to  do  God's  work 
without  pain.  And  so  pain  becomes  not 
only  a  glory  as  it  proves  that  we  are  doing 
our  Creator's  work,  but  a  bond  of  union 


36  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

between  the  Lord  and  ourselves.  It  gives, 
too,  a  system  to  the  world'3  work.  We  are 
seeking  a  transformation;  we  are  recreat- 
ing, even  as  Christ  recreated.  All  efforts, 
all  prayers,  all  exhortation,  every  stand 
taken  for  the  right  are  lifted  up  into  the 
great  world-wide,  age-long  plan  of  the 
Almighty  and  made  a  part  of  the  glory 
which  is  sure  to  come  in  God's  good  time. 

Father  and       But  best  of  all  this  sonship  brings  us 
child.         .  ,  ,,.1.' 

into  a  dear  personal  relationship  to  our 

Father.  We  can  talk  to  Him,  and  listen 
to  Him  when  He  speaks  to  us,  and  hold 
communion  with  Him,  even  as  a  wise  son 
with  an  earthly  father  and  a  loving  earthly 
father  with,  a  loyal  son.  "  How  good  it  is 
to  see  father  and  son  so  companionable," 
said  a  woman  as  she  saw  a  man  and  his  son 
associate  familiarly  together!  It  is  in- 
deed a  pleasant  and  all  too  rare  sight.  But 
the  best  part  of  it  is  the  illustration  it 
gives  of  the  way  we  can  be  one  with  our 
heavenly  Father  in  all  we  are,  in  all  we 
do,  in  the  reading  of  His  Word,  and  in  the 
hearing  of  His  messages  in  nature  and  in 
our  personal  experiences.  No  blindness 
can  there  be  for  us  if  wre  know  our  sonship ; 
we  can  read  truths  written  as  plainly  in 
sky  and  hill  and  sea  and  flower  as  the  law 


MAN,  GOD'S  CHILD  THROUGH  CHRIST.  37 

was  written  on  the  tablets  of  stone  on 
Sinai.  No  dread  of  sin  can  make  us  hide 
ourselves,  for  Christ  has  taken  sin  away. 
No  trouble  or  grief  can  make  us  think  our 
God  has  forgotten  us,  for  we  know  how 
these  trials  are  the  studies  to  develop  char- 
acter and  to  give  wisdom.  Oh,  this  holy 
fellowship  with  the  Infinite  which  makes 
life  sublime,  how  it  lifts  us  to  new  realms, 
gives  us  new  pleasures,  opens  new  paths 
and  sings  us  new  songs !  "lam  Thine — 
Thou  art  Mine  " — so  the  heavenly  duetto 
rises  as  spirit  meets  with  spirit,  and  we 
know  that  which  was  and  is  hidden  from 
sages  and  philosophers,  from  the  wise  and 
prudent,  and  is  now  revealed  unto  babes. 

All  these  privileges  are  ours  if  we  ac-  Our 
cept  the  redeeming  love  of  Christ  and  con- 
fess Him  as  our  Saviour.  It  is  no  com- 
plicated arrangement,  nor  does  it  demand 
either  credulity  or  fanaticism.  It  is  a 
simple  fact  in  the  world's  history,  as  clear 
and  strong  and  well  authenticated  as  the 
discovery  of  America  or  the  Copernican 
system  concerning  the  ruling  of  the  heav- 
enly bodies.  "  The  Son  of  God  was  made 
Son  of  man,  that  sons  of  men  might  become 
sons  of  God."  With  the  grasping  of  the 
life  and  death  and  resurrection  and  ascen- 


Saviour. 


38  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

sion  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth  came  the  new 
life.  Rome  was  turned  from  heathenism 
to  Christianity,  and  men  were  made  brave 
to  lay  down  their  lives  that  it  might  be 
accomplished.  The  new  truth  spread 
through  continents  and  through  the  islands 
of  the  sea,  and  everywhere  there  came  new 
methods  of  living  and  new  progress.  Love 
took  the  place  of  hate.  Peace  spread  her 
banner  and  cruel  wars  began  to  be  dis- 
credited. Study  of  God's  earth  and  of 
God's  laws  claimed  men's  best  endeavors. 
To  help  men  rather  than  to  destroy  them 
became  the  rule.  Churches  were  built  that 
those  who  were  God's  adopted  sons  might 
meet  together  and  worship  and  learn  how 
the  Master  would  have  them  live.  Educa- 
tion became  the  watchword  of  civilization. 
The  terror  of  death  subsided,  and  flowers 
were  strewn  upon  the  tombs  to  express  the 
faith  of  the  mourners  in  a  continued  life 
and  a  larger  sphere  of  progress.  Moral 
standards  were  elevated,  and  men  learned 
the  difference  between  right  and  wrong,  be- 
tween truth  and  a  lie,  between  justice  and 
injustice.  Not  yet,  indeed,  has  the  fulness 
come.  Still  there  are  failures  and  still 
there  are  the  blind  who  will  not  see.  But 
in  spite  of  all  the  great  flood  of  light  is 


MAN,  GOD'S  CHILD  THROUGH  CHRIST.  39 

spreading,  a  flood  which  no  man,  no  devil, 
can  hinder  or  delay.  The  world  is  soon 
to  be  Christ's.  "  Oh,  Galilean,  Thou  hast 
conquered !  " 

The  practical  question  is  whether  we  New  life 
have  accepted  our  privilege,  whether  we  Christ, 
have  entered  the  new  life,  whether  through 
Christ  we  are  openly  by  confession  the  sons 
of  God,  whether  the  blessed  freedom  of 
Christianity  is  ours.  To  help  men  answer 
this  question,  to  call  them  to  this  honor,  to 
explain  to  them  how  it  may  be  theirs,  is 
the  part  of  the  Church  with  all  her  acces- 
sories. The  Bible  proclaims  it.  The 
ministers  of  the  gospel  urge  it.  The 
Church  sends  her  missionaries  everywhere, 
Bible  in  hand,  to  declare  it.  She  opens 
her  doors  and  compels  men  to  come  in. 
She  cries  out  against  the  wrongs  which  bar 
the  way.  She  claims  the  sovereignty  of 
Christ  over  all  the  affairs  of  men. 

And  in  the  silent  hours  when  the  soul  is 
alone,  when  the  earth-life  is  shut  out,  when 
the  things  of  our  experience  face  us  with 
exaggerated  importance,  when  friendships 
plead  for  service,  and  the  future  calls  us 
with  relentless  demand — then  the  question 
of  questions  speaks,  and  the  Father  looks 
down  upon  us  and  asks  us  if  we  accept  the 


40  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

glory  He  offers,  and  the  Christ  asks  if  we 
are  willing  to  take  His  free  gift.  "  Am  I 
a  son  of  God  ?  " — so  runs  the  question. 
At  first  there  is  confusion — "  I  cannot 
understand."  Then  there  is  fear:  "  God 
is  so  great  and  I  but  an  atom  in  the  uni- 
verse, here  to-day,  gone  forever  to-mor- 
row !  "  Again  comes  the  accusing  voice : 
"  I  am  full  of  sin ;  how  dare  I  look  up  and 
call  the  Holy  and  the  Almighty  my  Father, 
or  call  my  sin-stained  self  His  son  ?  "  And 
what  then  ?  Then  comes  the  vision  of  a  life, 
of  a  Person  with  arms  outstretched  and  call- 
ing "  Come !  "  Then  comes  the  Cross  with 
the  suffering  Body  but  the  triumphant  Be- 
ing of  that  Person  fixed  thereon,  and  cry- 
ing "  It  is  finished !  "  Then  comes  the 
divine  word :  "  Whosoever  will,  let  him 
take  of  the  w7ater  of  life  freely."  And  at 
the  sight  and  the  sound  reason  ceases  her 
attempt  to  comprehend  love,  fear  flies  as 
the  cloud  before  the  sun,  sin  is  forgotten 
as  the  black  earth  is  hidden  by  the  white 
snow,  and  the  heart  cries  out :  "  My 
Father,  oh,  my  Father !  "  It  is  the  work 
of  Christ  Who  has  brought  back  the  wan- 
derer to  the  Father's  house,  and  there  is  a 
sound  of  rejoicing  before  the  White 
Throne. 


MAN,  GOD'S  CHILD  THROUGH  CHRIST.  41 

O,  my  Christ,  before  Thee  I  bow,  not 
in  fear  but  in  full  gratitude  that  Thou  hast 
brought  to  me  the  message  of  the  Father's 
love  and  by  Thy  blood  hast  made  me  the 
son  of  God!  Let  me  rejoice  in  it  and 
never  through  all  the  days  forget  it.  If 
trials  come  let  them  bring  me  to  my 
Father's  feet.  If  I  am  weak  then  let  me 
find  strength  from  my  Father's  hand.  If 
I  fall  into  a  despite  of  myself  because  of 
my  unworthiness  then  let  me  remember 
what  Thou  hast  made  me,  and  rise  in  pride 
because  of  my  high  heritage.  And  if  now 
I  am  indeed  a  son  of  Gocl,  let  me  look  for- 
ward to  that  day  when  Thou  shalt  appear 
and  I  shall  be  like  Thee  because  seeing 
Thee  face  to  face.     Amen. 


CHAPTER  III. 


Christ  has  made  us  the  sons  of  God  by 
becoming  Himself  the  Son  of  Man,  and 
dying,  and  rising  victorious  over  death, 
and  opening  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  to 
all  believers.  What  relationship  then  does 
He  bear  to  us?  How  are  we  to  think  of 
Him ;  how  shall  we  regard  Him ;  how  shall 
our  lives  be  affected  by  Him?  These  are 
grave  questions  and  demand  a  clear  and 
positive  answer.  Christianity  has  such  an 
answer  which  she  gathers  from  the  words 
of  the  Master  Himself.  Let  us  see  what 
it  is. 
What  of  We  may  well  stop  here  to  say  that  the 

Chn8t  consideration  of  this  matter  is  funda- 
mental. "  What  think  ye  of  Christ?  "  is 
the  question  which  must  be  answered  by 
every  man.  "  What  did  ye  think  of 
Christ  ? "  will  be  the  question  to  be  an- 
swered at  the  Day  of  Judgment.  If  we 
remember  what  a  change  Christianity  has 
42 


CHRIST'S  RELATIONSHIP  TO  MAN.  43 

made  and  is  still  making  and  will  ever 
continue  to  make  in  the  world ;  if  we  recall 
how,  historically,  Christ  is  the  centre  of 
the  world's  history,  with  all  before  Him 
and  all  since  He  came  pointing  towards 
Him  as  the  glorious  Polar  Star  of  truth 
and  power — for  it  is  significant  that  our 
human  history  is  always  dated  B.  C.  or 
A.  D. — "  before  Christ  "  or  "  in  the  year 
of  our  Lord  " — then  there  can  be  no  eva- 
sion with  any  thinking  man  of  this  great 
question.  Nor  will  it  do  to  answer  it 
falsely.  We  may  say  Christ  was  but  a 
man,  greater  than  many,  greater  than  all, 
but  by  so  saying  we  no  more  solve  the 
riddle  of  Christianity's  power  than  we. 
answer  the  question.  If  He  was  only  a 
man  then  His  words  were  false  and  so  He 
could  not  have  been  a  great  man,  for  no 
man  is  false  concerning  himself.  If  He 
was  only  a  man  then  His  miracles  were 
not  real,  and  the  whole  fabric  of  the  New 
Testament  falls  in  fragments  at  our  feet. 
If  He  was  only  a  man  then  is  He  no  more 
to  us  of  power,  of  love,  of  worship,  of  hope, 
than  any  good  man  who  lives  or  has 
ever  lived,  and  the  world's  passion  of 
faith,  by  which  myriads  have  endured  and 
lived   and  suffered  and   died  is  the  most 


44  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

awful  mockery  conceivable.  There  is  only 
one  answer  to  this  question,  and  that  is  the 
answer  which  Peter  gave  and  upon  which 
Christ  declared  He  would  build  His 
church;  and  grandly  has  He  fulfilled  His 
declaration :  "  Thou  art  the  Christ,  the  Son 
of  the  living  God."  It  is  out  of  place 
here  to  go  into  a  discussion  of  the  nature 
of  Christ.  The  object  of  these  pages  is  to 
declare  plainly,  simply  but  categorically, 
the  faith  of  a  Christian.  But  we  may 
mention  two  great  books  for  those  to  read 
who  are  undecided  and  uncertain  in  their 
faith.  One  is  Canon  Liddon  on  "  The 
Divinity  of  Christ,"  and  the  other  "  The 
Jesus  of  the  Evangelists  "  by  Canon  Row. 
There  are  countless  other  books.  The  real 
knowledge  of  the  Christ  nature  must  come, 
however,  from  the  Holy  Ghost.  Jesus  said 
to  Peter  when  he  made  his  glorious  declara- 
tion :  "  Blessed  art  thou,  Simon  Bar- 
jona :  for  flesh  and  blood  hath  not  re- 
vealed it  unto  thee,  but  my  Father  which 
is  in  heaven."  If  all  who  doubt  would 
but  go  in  frank  desire  and  hunger  and 
kneel  in  private  before  God  and  ask  for  a 
knowledge  of  the  truth,  the  truth  would 
come. 

There    can   be    no    Christianity    where 


CHRIST'S  RELATIONSHIP  TO  MAN.  45 

Christ  is  not  acknowledged  and  worshipped  without 

as  God.  There  can  be  no  adherence  to  the     c^18*— 

what? 

Gospels,  or  to  the  Epistles  of  the  New 
Testament,  unless  He  is  so  acknowledged. 
The  illogical  character  of  heresy  has  not 
been  sufficiently  recognized  amongst  us. 
With  Christ — if  He  is  taken  away — must 
go  the  Bible,  morality,  friendship,  hope, 
struggle,  courage,  eternity.  With  Him 
these  are  the  essentials  of  a  Christian  life. 

Let  us  come  back  now  to  our  first  ques-  Christ  a 
tion  and  ask  what  relationship  Christ  bears  Saviour, 
to  man.  First,  He  is  the  Saviour.  His 
name,  given  when  His  future  birth  was 
announced  to  Joseph,  was  "  Jesus,"  mean- 
ing "  Saviour  "  or  "  Jehovah  saves,"  "  for 
he  shall  save  his  people  from  their  sins." 
Christ  saves  us  from  our  sins  as  the  angel 
of  God  declared  He  would.  This  salva- 
tion is  through  His  blood  which  He  shed 
for  us  on  the  Cross.  He  died  that  we 
might  live.     This  salvation  has  three  parts : 

1.  We  are  saved  from  our  sinful  condi-  Thiee 
tion.      We    were    wanderers,    and    Christ     Parts  of 
sought    us    and   brought    us    back    to   the     tion. 
Father's  house.     We  have  the  stain  of  sin 
upon  us,  and  Christ  saves  us  by  the  new 
birth.     Through  Him  we  can  look  up  and 
rejoice  because  we  are  made  free.    We  need 


46  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

not  remember  the  past.  He  bore  on  the 
Cross  the  sins  of  the  whole  world,  so  we 
are  free  from  them. 

2.  Christ  saves  us  from  the  consequences 
of  sin.  "  The  soul  that  sinneth,  it  shall 
die."  "  The  wages  of  sin  is  death ;  but  the 
gift  of  God  is  eternal  life  through  Jesus 
Christ  our  Lord."  So  that,  though  still 
weak  and  yielding  to  sin,  we  need  not  be 
afraid  of  the  just  wrath  of  God  against 
sin,  not  against  the  sinner,  for  "  the  blood 
of  Jesus  Christ  his  Son  cleanseth  us  from 
all  sin."  Oh,  the  blessedness  of  that! 
Not  a  day,  not  an  hour  passes  but  that 
through  thought,  word,  or  deed,  through 
omission  or  commission,  we  sin  and  are 
stained ;  and  then  a  prayer  from  the  heart, 
"  Forgive,"  and  we  are  white  as  snow ! 
We  may  go  to  our  sleep  each  night  as  pure 
as  little  children.  In  our  remorse  for  sin, 
and  even  in  our  witnessing  the  temporary 
consequences  of  our  sin,  for  God  allows 
often  the  error  to  work  sorrow  that  we  may 
be  led  to  greater  watchfulness,  we  need 
never  fear  final  ruin.  Even  Satan  cannot 
claim  us,  weak  though  we  are,  when  we 
are  safe  in  the  arms  of  Him  Who  died  for 
us. 

3.  And   then   He   saves   us    from    sin- 


CHRISTS  RELATIONSHIP  TO  MAN.  47 

ning: — not  at  once,  but  little  by  little  as 
His  grace  grows  in  us  and  His  love  brings 
us  near  to  Himself.  We  grow  to  be  better 
men  through  His  salvation.  We  love 
good  things  more  and  we  hate  bad  things 
more,  and  our  ideals  are  more  exalted  as 
we  go  on  in  the  Christian  life.  This  is  the 
work  of  the  grace  or  favor  or  love  of  God 
in  our  hearts.  And  it  reveals  to  us  the 
real  character  of  sin. 

What  is  sin?  A  violation  of  God's  sin. 
law?  A  breaking  into  the  harmony  of 
the  universe?  A  transgression  of  metes 
and  bounds  which  righteousness  has  laid' 
down  ?  Doubtless,  but  the  definition  is 
faulty.  Sin  is  that  which  hurts  God  be- 
cause He  loves  us  so.  A  man  once  told  me 
he  learned  the  definition  of  wrong  from  a 
tear  on  his  mother's  cheek.  He  had  hurt 
his  mother's  love.  Ah,  that  brings  us  face 
to  face  with  a  great  truth  before  which 
law  and  rule  and  command  are  almost  in- 
significant. To  hurt  my  friend — that  is 
sin.  And  as  I  love  God  more  and  more 
with  the  love  which  Christ  gives  me  I  hate 
sin  more  and  more  because  I  cannot  bear 
to  grieve  my  Best  Friend.  All  this  is  the 
salvation  which  Christ  brings. 


48  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 


cessor. 


inter-  He  is  also  my  Intercessor.     We  are  told 

that  He  sits  at  God's  right  hand  ever  liv- 
ing to  make  intercession  for  us.  We  must 
not  think  that  this  implies  God's  anger 
with  us  or  His  unwillingness  to  receive  us. 
It  means  far  more,  namely,  that  we  can- 
not appear  in  the  presence  of  the  Holy 
God  as  we  are.  We  must  be  prepared. 
A  sinful  man  in  heaven  would  find  it 
worse  than  hell.  Any  place  for  which 
we  are  not  fitted  is  a  place  of  torment.  If 
I  found  myself  alone  on  an  engine  running 
sixty  miles  an  hour  with  a  hundred  pas- 
sengers in  the  cars  behind  me,  and  I  knew 
nothing  about  the  management  of  the  en- 
gine, how  to  stop  it,  or  to  regulate  it,  what 
would  be  my  feelings  ?  The  beauty  of  the 
story  of  the  wedding  garment  lies  in  the 
kindness  of  the  host  in  making  his  guests 
feel  at  home.  When  then  we  approach 
God  and  the  brilliancy  of  His  light  floods 
about  us  and  we  are  justly  afraid  and  cry 
as  did  Isaiah :  "  Woe  is  me !  for  I  am 
undone,"  the  hand  of  the  dear  Christ  is 
stretched  out,  He  cleanses  us  and  makes 
us  fit  to  enter  in,  He  confesses  us  because 
we  have  confessed  Him :  "  This  is  My 
child,  Father,  and  Thine  because  Mine.  I 
died  for  him  and  he  loves  Me ;  "  and  oh, 


CHRISTS  RELATIONSHIP  TO  MAN  49 

the  light  on  the  King's  face  as  He  wel- 
comes us,  first  for  His  dear  Son's  sake,  and 
then  for  our  own  sake  because  He  loves  us 
so  and  longs  for  our  happiness !  It  is  this 
intercession  which  makes  our  lives  blessed 
because  we  live  or  try  to  live  in  the  light 
of  the  King's  countenance.  It  is  this 
which  gives  assurance  to  our  prayers  as  we 
ask  in  Jesus'  name  and  for  His  sake.  It 
is  this  which  brings  the  dear  Lord  near  to 
us  as  our  Guardian,  and  tells  us  of  His 
leading  us  by  the  hand  all  through  the 
earth-way  with  its  dangers  and  darkness, 
until  He  causes  us  to  "  enter  in."  Oh, 
blessed   intercession,   oh,   precious   Christ! 

Jesus  is  an  Example.  He  died,  but  He  Example, 
also  lived  for  thirty-three  years  a  blameless 
life.  Absolutely  human,  so  that  He  was 
tempted  in  all  points  like  as  we  are;  with 
all  our  longings  and  desires  and  emotions ; 
with  trials  pressing  Him  and  thorns  pierc- 
ing His  feet  as  they  do  ours ;  dealing  with 
all  kinds  of  men,  meeting  all  kinds  of  ex- 
periences, He  lived  the  only  faultless  life 
the  world  has  ever  known.  "  What  did 
Jesus  do  "  thus  becomes  the  guide  for  us 
all,  and  that  in  the  most  minute  particu- 
lars. His  manner  of  living,  simple,  un- 
selfish; His  manner  of  speech,  direct  and 


50  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

kind ;  His  mercy,  His  pity,  His  sympathy, 
His  courage,  His  patience — there  they  all 
lie  before  us  on  the  pages  of  that  inspired 
history,  and  we  look  upon  them  and  a  new 
strength  enters  into  us.  The  trouble  with 
all  earthly  examples  is  their  imperfection, 
and  when  we  try  to  imitate  them  we  are 
sure  to  imitate  faults  as  well  as  excel- 
lencies. The  ideal  we  set  before  us  has 
much  to  do  with  our  advance  or  retro- 
gression. And  here  we  have  an  Ideal 
which  was  once  and  is  now  real.  We  look 
at  Him,  and  there  is  no  hesitancy.  In  the 
strength  of  His  goodness  we  find  our  good- 
ness growing  strong.  Of  course  the  special 
blessedness  of  it  all  lies  in  the  fact  that 
Christ  not  only  shows  us  how  we  ought  to 
live,  but  grants  the  power  to  attain.  It  is 
no  dead  excellence  of  marble,  without  feel- 
ing, for  He  was  made  perfect  through 
struggle.  He  had  His  battles  as  we  must 
have  ours.  But  He  is  also  the  living  Son 
of  God,  and  while  we  look  and  long  He 
reaches  out  His  hand  and  brings  us  near 
to  Himself. 
Brother.  Christ  is  our  Brother.    It  is  a  dear  title. 

For  though  brothers  are  often  most  faulty 
amongst  men  yet  the  ideal  brotherhood  is 
a  foundation  not  only  for  the  Christian 


CHRIST S  RELATIONSHIP  TO  MAN.  51 

fraternity  wherein  we  are  all  members  of 
one  family,  but  as  well  for  many  associa- 
tions of  men  allied  together  for  a  common 
purpose.  It  implies  fellowship.  It  im- 
plies common  experience.  It  implies  a  com- 
mon fatherhood  and  a  common  opportunity. 
Brotherhood  binds  men  together  as  com- 
rades. It  tells  of  a  fellowship  in  defeating 
foes  and  in  gaining  victories.  It  makes 
the  desolate  path  easy  with  the  grace  of 
companionship,  and  it  lightens  the  burden 
which  rests  more  easily  on  the  shoulders 
of  two.  The  Lord  brings  us  into  union 
with  Himself.  We  have  the  same  task, 
even  the  redemption  of  the  world.  We 
have  the  same  tie  binding  us  to  humanity, 
for  as  He  was  human,  though  also  divine, 
so  we  are  made  of  God  "  of  one  blood 
....  for  to  dwell  on  all  the  face  of  the 
earth."  In  helping  others  we  are  helping 
Him :  "  Inasmuch  as  ye  have  done  it 
unto  one  of  the  least  of  these  my  brethren, 
ye  have  done  it  unto  me."  Ah,  it  is  this 
brotherhood  of  the  Master  which  keeps  our 
faith  from  becoming  an  institution  or  a 
cult.  Christianity  gains  its  sacredness  and 
its  power  because  it  means  brotherhood 
with  the  Lord  Who  called  us  to  join  Him 
in   the   work   of   His   eternal   and   loving 


52  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

Kingdom.  You  cannot  think  of  Chris- 
tianity without  Christ,  not  only  because 
He  is  the  centre  of  it  all  and  the  power  of 
its  life,  but  because  He  is  Himself  in  it, 
through  it,  pervading  it,  one  with  all  who 
accept  it.  "  Lo,  I  am  with  you  always." 
Friend.  We  almost  hesitate  when  we  try  to  say 

that  Christ  is  our  Friend !  For  the  word 
is  a  holy  word,  almost  the  holiest  in  our 
speech.  To  say  of  another,  "  he  is  my 
friend,"  is  to  acknowledge  him  as  having 
entered  into  the  holy  of  holies  of  our  be- 
ing. It  is  often  carelessly  and  lightly 
used,  this  name  "  friend  " — more  shame 
to  us !  We  speak  of  a  host  of  folk  as  "  our 
friends  "  when  perchance  none,  or  at  best 
but  one,  can  really  claim  the  benediction 
of  the  title.  "  Ye  are  my  friends,"  said 
Jesus.  "  Ye  are  not  servants,  not  knowing 
what  the  Master  is  doing.  Ye  are  more 
than  companions  following  in  the  way  and 
sharing  the  duties  but  shut  out  from  the 
sanctuary  of  thought  and  the  harmony  of 
the  soul.  Ye  are  closer  than  brothers,  for 
if  ye  really  love  Me  ye  are  at  once  like 
brother  and  sister  and  mother.  Ye  are 
friends.  I  keep  nothing  back.  I  cover 
nothing  of  My  desires  or  of  My  experi- 
ences.    I  enter  into  the  depths  of  your  de- 


CHRIST'S  RELATIONSHIP  TO  MAN.  53 

sires  and  experiences  also,  for  My  friend- 
ship is  very  strong.  I  have  called  you 
friends !  "  It  will  be  recalled  how  He 
proved  this  friendship  when  He  took  three 
of  His  disciples  to  the  Mount  of  Trans- 
figuration, and  three  again  to  witness  His 
first  resurrection  miracle,  and  again  the 
same  three  when  He  agonized  in  the 
Garden.  Ah,  He  is  never  shut  out  from 
the  greatest  moments  of  our  lives,  nor 
does  He  shut  us  out  from  the  holy  things 
of  His  desire.  From  Him  no  secrets  are 
hid,  and  He  never  betrays  our  confidence. 
Unto  Him  all  our  hearts  are  open,  and  He 
knows  us  better  than  we  know  ourselves. 
To  be  able,  humbly,  reverently,  to  call 
Christ  our  Friend — our  Best  Friend,  is  to 
enter  into  the  riches  of  our  faith  indeed. 
And  we  need  never  be  afraid.  A  true 
friend  is  never  critical.  A  true  friend 
never  turns  away  no  matter  how  unworthy 
we  know  ourselves  to  be  of  his  friendship. 
A  true  friend  is  like  a  rock ;  he  defends  us 
in  his  loyalty,  he  stands  by  us  in  our  neces- 
sity, he  takes  us  as  we  are,  for  he  looks 
not  at  the  outward  appearance  but  at  the 
heart.  Upon  such  an  one  we  can  abso- 
lutely rely.  He  never  fails.  And  such,  in 
our  lonely,  troubled,  enemy-beset,  oft-de- 


54  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

ceived  lives  is  Jesus  Christ.  A  Friend 
that  sticketh  closer  than  a  brother.  A 
Friend  never  growing  cold,  never  forget- 
ting, never  misjudging,  never,  oh,  never, 
turning  away! 
Our  life.  Finally,  Christ  is  our  Life.     He  gives 

us  life  at  the  first.  He  imparts  new  and 
fuller  life  as  we  go  on  our  way  and  our 
necessity  deepens.  He  makes  the  common 
life,  physical,  mental,  spiritual,  ever  richer 
and  more  real.  And  He  endows  us  with 
that  which  we  recognize,  as  He  gives  it,  as 
worth  more  than  all  else — everlasting  life ; 
a  life  which  has  no  ending,  a  life  which  is 
to  increase  in  power  all  through  the  ages 
of  eternity,  a  life  in  which  the  dearest  and 
best  are  to  share,  a  life  into  which  shall 
finally  enter  a  great  fulfilment  of  all  that 
is  looked  for,  longed  for,  hungered  for 
here.  He  is  our  life.  In  Him  we  know 
we  shall  find  at  last  all  our  restless  natures 
craved  and  cried  for.  From  Him  flows, 
even  now,  through  the  channels  of  grace 
which  He  has  provided,  a  new  force  which 
he  feels  who  kneels  in  prayer,  or  reads  the 
Bible,  or  bows  in  adoration  before  the  Al- 
mighty. So  that  we  grow  to  say  that  "  we 
live  in  Him,"  because  He  gives  of  all  that 
is  best  and  most  lasting  in  our  years — 


CHRIST'S  RELATIONSHIP  TO  MAN.  55 

peace,  forgiveness,  love,  hope,  blessing,  and 
a  foretaste  of  the  felicity  which  is  to  be 
"  after  this  fever  is  passed." 

0,  Thou  Christ,  my  all  in  all,  I  thank 
Thee  that  Thou  hast  come  to  make  me 
highly  favored  and  to  set  me  amongst 
princes.  My  Saviour,  Thou  dost  pardon. 
My  Intercessor,  Thou  dost  adopt.  My  Ex- 
ample, Thou  dost  lead.  My  Brother,  Thou 
dost  come  near.  My  Friend,  Thou  dost 
know.  My  Life,  Thou  dost  exalt.  Hold 
me  to  Thyself,  0  Friend,  and  let  me 
never  fall  away.    Amen, 


CHAPTEE  IV. 


We  come  now  to  that  which  is  com- 
monly called  the  life  of  the  Christian  man. 
Christ  being  the  Centre  of  all  things,  and 
having  made  us  God's  children,  and  having 
become  all  things  to  ns  in  His  great  and 
gracious  love  and  mercy,  how  are  we  called 
upon  to  live  ?  What  are  we  to  Him  when 
He  is  so  much  to  us?  It  will  be  seen  at 
once  that  here  we  enter  upon  a  great  truth, 
namely,  that  the  Christian  life  of  a  man  is 
Person  of  a  relationship  to  a  Person.  It  is  not 
obedience  to  law,  it  is  not  the  observance 
of  a  ritual  of  worship,  it  is  not  a  vague 
holding  to  high  principles,  nor  yet  an 
ardent  adherence  to  lofty  hopes.  It  has 
little  or  no  philosophy.  It  is  no  following 
of  a  system  of  belief.  It  is  not  even  the 
holding  to  a  creed,  if  back  of  that  creed  to 
vivify  it  there  stands  no  being  about  whom 
the  creed  is  formed  and  to  whom  the  creed 
is  fastened.  This  is  what  makes  the  Chris- 
56 


Christ. 


MAN'S  RELATIONSHIP  TO  CHRIST.  57 

tian  faith  absolutely  different  from  any 
man-made  religion.  You  may  build  up  a 
philosophy  to  which  men  may  cling  as  to  a 
raft  in  the  midst  of  the  ocean-billows  of 
life;  it  has  been  done,  and  alas,  for  the 
slowness  of  men  to  realize  their  blessings, 
it  is  being  done  almost  daily.  It  is  easy, 
too,  to  establish  laws  of  moral  excellence 
and  count  adherence  to  them  a  faith.  But 
to  have  a  Being  Who  was  once  on  this 
earth,  and  Who  came  from  God,  and  Who 
created  a  family  of  those  who  believed  in 
Him — to  have  Him  as  the  centre,  and 
loyalty  to  Him  as  the  faith,  the  inspiration 
to  right  doing,  and  the  power  to  guide — 
that  has  had  only  one  instance  in  the 
world's  history,  and  that  is  Christianity. 
Loyalty  to  Christ  is  the  Christian's  watch- 
word, and  the  Christian's  faith,  and  the 
Christian's  law  of  life.  Our  relationship 
to  Christ  is  that  of  loyalty,  even  as  His 
relationship  to  us  is  that  of  love. 

Loyalty  demands  many  things.  First  Trust. 
of  all  it  demands  a  splendid  trust  which 
nothing  can  destroy.  To  trust  our  Master 
is  to  know  that  He  loves  us  with  an  un- 
failing love,  to  know  that  His  word  is 
truth,  to  be  patient  when  we  cannot  under- 
stand Him,  to  be  silent  and  wait  when  we 


58  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

cannot  see  or  hear  Him,  to  stand  up  for 
Him  when  He  is  opposed  or  derided  or 
scorned,  to  follow  Him  whithersoever  He 
leads,  even  though  it  be  through  hard 
places  and  dark  ways.  Trust  is  a  glorious 
thing  in  this  world  even  amongst  ourselves. 
To  trust  a  man  is  to  show  him  the  finest 
compliment;  and  poor  indeed  is  he  who 
does  not  respond  to  such  confidence.  "  I 
trust  you,"  friend  says  to  friend,  and  the 
words  create  a  bond  of  union  which  cannot 
easily  be  broken.  To  lose  all  trust  in  man 
is  not  only  to  be  a  miserable  pessimist  in 
theory,  but  to  let  go  the  force. which  alone 
makes  living  endurable.  So  with  our 
loyalty  to  Christ.  Beyond  a  faith  which 
can  declare  why;  beyond  a  knowledge 
which  can  make  clear  the  truth;  even  be- 
yond the  worship  which  declares  the  soul's 
affection,  there  must  lie  simple,  absolute, 
all-compelling  trust  if  we  would  really  be 
Christians.  Trust  can  be  helped  by  many 
means  of  God's  providing.  The  gracious 
promises,  the  wonderful  accounts  given  us 
in  the  Gospels,  the  control  of  mind  and 
heart  when  they  are  excited  so  that  they 
run  not  away  with  us,  prayer  which  brings 
us  near  the  Throne,  and  worship  which 
lifts  us  above  the  temporal  so  that  we  see 


MAN'S  RELATIONSHIP  TO  CHRIST.  59 

the  eternal — these  all  help  us  to  trust.  But 
it  is  deeper  than  these  that  the  real  foun- 
dation lies.  As  the  lover  can  give  no  satis- 
fying reason  for  his  love  but  can  only  de- 
clare it,  so  the  Christian  has  within  him  as 
a  part  of  the  very  essence  of  his  being  this 
trust  in  Christ  which  is  born  first  out  of 
his  own  helplessness  and  then  out  of  the 
instinctive  knowledge  that  the  Master  is 
his  best  Friend. 

After  trust  comes  the  obedience  which  Obedience, 
trust  implies.  If  I  trust  a  man  I  will  do 
as  he  suggests.  My  physician  prescribes 
and  I  obey.  My  friend  asks  and  I  hasten 
to  answer.  To  obey  God  is  to  follow  the 
motion  of  trust,  and  not  to  be  driven  by 
fear.  Fear  has  its  place  for  the  wicked 
and  the  weak.  To  be  afraid  to  do  wrong 
is  the  hold  society  has  upon  the  thief  and 
the  adulterer.  But  we  count  these  as 
slaves  who  have  not  risen  to  the  liberty 
of  real  living.  It  is  not  so  with  the 
Christian.  He  is  not  afraid  of  God,  nor 
does  he  do  right  and  refrain  from  evil 
because  of  assured  punishment.  Such  ad- 
herence is  prized  neither  on  earth  nor  in 
heaven.  But  when  I  obey — that  is  when 
I  do  or  try  to  do  what  my  loved  and  loving 
Christ  asks,  I  am  led  by  my  devotion,  my 


THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

loyalty.  We  need  to  learn  this  lesson  well, 
for  its  mastery  constitutes  the  healthy  life 
of  a  true  Christian.  Again  and  again  we 
should  ask,  "  Why  ought  I  to  do  this  or  not 
do  that  ?  "  And  while  the  passing  reasons 
come  and  take  their  place,  such  as  the  wel- 
fare of  others,  my  own  health,  the  danger 
of  degradation,  the  strength  of  self-respect, 
the  full  response  comes  in  the  glad,  almost 
exulting  cry,  "  Why,  my  Lord  does  not 
wish  me  to  do  this,"  or,  "  My  Christ  asks 
me  to  do  that."  We  shall  have  more  to  say 
about  this  in  our  next  chapter,  but  we  need 
to  remember  it  here  as  a  part  of  loyalty. 
And  how  splendidly  it  recreates  even  the 
language  of  life !  We  no  longer  say  "  I 
must "  but  "  I  love  to."  We  no  longer 
talk  of  "  duty  "  but  of  "  privilege."  We  no 
longer  feel  the  burden  of  obedience  but  the 
ex-hilaration  of  service.  We  do  what  Christ 
asks  because  He  asks  it — that  is  reason 
enough  for  the  loyalty  of  love. 

But  trust  and  obedience  cannot  stand 
afar  off.  Indeed,  they  gain  their  power 
through  association  with  the  One  trusted 
and  obeyed,  and  the  more  real  and  constant 
this  association,  the  stronger  the  power. 
Loyalty  to  the  absent  is  hard,  and  only  pos- 
sible when  we  know  that  the  absent  one,  in 


MAN'S  RELATIONSHIP  TO  CHRIST.  61 

spite  of  absence,  knows  and  cares  and  re- 
members. In  the  presence  of  friend  with 
friend  disloyalty  is  unknown.  Hence  the 
Christian  lives  in  the  presence  of  his 
Christ.  Upon  this  the  Master  gave  many 
precepts.  "  Abide  in  me  and  I  in  you  " 
was  at  once  the  expression  of  His  own 
deepest  longings  and  the  declaration  of 
His  disciples'  need.  He  knew  how  hard 
it  would  be  to  "  trust  and  obey "  if  He 
seemed  far  away,  and  so  He  assured  them 
of  His  constant  presence :  "  Lo,  I  am  with 
you  alway."  He  knew  how  easily  the 
mind  and  the  heart  are  influenced  by  the 
senses,  and  so  He  left  the  great  memorial : 
"  Do  this  in  remembrance  of  me."  And 
He  established  that  wonderful  truth  which 
modern  theologians  are  dimly  grasping 
after  when  they  talk  of  the  "  immanent 
God,"  the  truth  that  the  unseen  Father  is 
within  us,  without  us,  around  us  in  all  we 
do  or  say  or  think  or  feel.  Ah,  the  blessed- 
ness of  this  message,  beset  as  we  are  by  the 
temptations  of  loneliness,  and  the  impres- 
sion, expressed  even  in  our  hymns,  that  we 
are  exiles,  pilgrims,  strangers,  homeless 
wanderers,  far  from  our  Father's  house! 
We  come  near — we  can  come  near — we  are 
near  to  Him  Who  is  the  Centre  of  our  life. 


THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

Never  is  He  away.  Never  does  He  for- 
get. As  the  sparrow's  fall  is  noted,  so  the 
struggle  of  one  who  in  His  sight  is  wrorth 
more  than  many  sparrows  is  noted.  Prayer 
is  communion  with  Him.  Thought  is  fel- 
lowship with  Him.  Battle  is  contest  with 
Christ  as  our  fellow-contestant.  Only  sin 
can  hide  His  presence,  and  then  He  is 
still  there  behind  the  cloud  of  our  disloyalty 
to  welcome  us  without  rebuke  when  we  re- 
turn. 

Trust,  obedience,  and  abiding;  and  to 
these  we  must  add  service.  For  our  rela- 
tionship to  Christ  means  such  a  participa- 
tion of  His  life  that  we  join  ourselves  with 
Him  in  all  that  He  is  doing  and  plans  to  do 
upon  earth.  And  just  here  lies  the  splen- 
did exaltation  of  our  existence.  If  I  am 
here  just  to  wait  in  patience,  as  on  proba- 
tion, for  another  life  to  come;  or  if  I  am 
only  struggling  negatively  to  keep  myself 
from  slipping  and  the  world  from  ruin, 
then  it  is  impossible  to  see  where  the  ex- 
hilaration of  living  can  come  in.  The 
sooner  it  ends  the  sooner  are  we  free  from 
danger  and  lifted  up  to  a  longed-for  peace. 
And  with  a  little  tinge  of  shame  it  must  be 
confessed  that  too  much  in  the  past  and 
somewhat  in  the  present  has  this  conception 


MAN'S  RELATIONSHIP  TO  CHRIST.  63 

of  human  existence  predominated.  Our  Work 
hymns  still  carry  lingering  traces  of  it. 
Our  prayers  are  colored  by  it.  Our  pulpit 
messages  and  our  books  of  devotion  are  held 
by  it.  Oh,  to  get  home!  To  escape  this 
dreary  round  of  task  and  drudgery !  To  be 
free  from  the  evils  which  are  ever  at  hand 
to  swallow  us  up !  To  go  "  where  the 
wicked  cease  from  troubling  and  the  weary 
are  at  rest !  "  We  must  not  be  too  severe 
with  a  type  of  Christianity  which  still  lin- 
gers and  finds  a  response  in  our  bosoms. 
Yet  surely  the  thought  of  loyalty  to  Christ 
bids  us  look  in  another  direction  and  hold 
to  a  higher  desire.  Is  it  the  best  thing  to 
go  to  heaven  whether  we  have  done  any- 
thing for  earth  or  not  ?  Is  it  a  high  thought 
to  imagine  ourselves  wearing  a  crown  of 
gold  before  we  have,  like  our  Leader,  worn 
a  crown  of  thorns  ?  Is  there  not  in  us 
something  of  that  lofty  desire  for  creation 
which  shall  open  our  eyes  to  opportunities 
and  make  us  see  the  work  which  our  Lord 
asks  us  to  do  for  Him  and  with  Him? 
Surely  the  Christ  in  His  words  made  this 
service  a  part  of  loyalty.  His  parables  and 
His  miracles,  so  plain  to  those  who  are 
willing  to  understand,  tell  us  how  the  King 


64:  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

has  taken  us  into  His  Kingdom  not  as 
idlers  to  enjoy  but  as  workers  to  bring  a 
harvest.  And  when  we  remember  that  we 
are  to  work  for  a  definite  object;  that  the 
Fordefi-  whole  world  of  people  and  customs  and 
object  ideas  is  standing  and  calling  for  light,  and 
that  a  redeemed  earth  is  to  be  the  glorious 
abode  of  a  redeemed  people  with  a  Re- 
deemer as  their  Head,  then  the  inspira- 
tion deepens  and  the  heart  beats  and  throbs 
to  have  a  share.  ~No  mere  contest  against 
evil,  but  a  pressing  towards  righteousness ; 
not  a  holding  of  ourselves  in  whiteness, 
but  a  rushing  into  the  dust  of  chaos  to  bring 
order ;  not  freedom  from  wounds  and  pain, 
but  a  leaping  into  the  foes'  centre  and  a 
lifting  of  the  Icing's  banner,  though  we 
bleed  and  die  in  the  attempt!  There  is 
the  meaning  of  Christianity !  There  is  the 
loyalty  which  establishes  aright  our  true 
relationship  to  our  Christ !  How  splendid 
it  is,  especially  when  wTe  remember  that 
all  have  a  place  in  this  great  service.  Some 
may  go  to  the  heathen  and  preach ;  some 
may  take  the  children  and  open  to  them  the 
truth;  some  may  speak  kind  words  to  the 
disheartened;  some  may  pray  as  they  lie 
on  beds  of  pain.  But  all  have  a  part  and 
a  place  to  which  the   Christ  calls  them; 


for  me. 


MAN'S  RELATIONSHIP  TO  CHRIST.  65 

with  all  He  is  present,  directing  and  bless- 
ing; to  all  He  breathes  gracious  encourage- 
ment. 

This  is  a  very  clear  picturing,  though  Meaning 
spoken  in  faltering  language,  of  the  mean- 
ing of  the  Christian  life.  Let  us  ask  now 
what  it  must  mean  for  the  individual 
Christian.  And  first  it  inspires  him  with 
a  tremendous  sense  of  the  importance  of 
his  life.  More  men  fail  and  more  Chris- 
tians sink  into  uselessness  and  spiritual 
death  from  underestimating  the  bigness 
and  opportunity  of  life  than  from  any  other 
one  cause.  Heresies  and  schisms,  suicides 
and  drunkenness,  weakness  and  insanity 
are  the  result  of  not  looking  life  squarely 
in  the  face  and  seeing  and  knowing  and 
declaring  what  a  splendid  thing  it  is  to 
live.  When  once  trust  and  obedience 
and  union  with  and  service  for  a  supreme 
and  loving  Lord  bring  their  light  to  bear 
upon  the  way,  it  is  impossible  to  minimize 
or  forget  the  glorious  possible  career  of 
every  human  being. 

Again,  this  truth  makes  Christ  real.     If  Christ 
we  speak  of  a  mere  historical  Christ,  as 
some  are  fond  of  speaking,  then  there  is 
not  much  to  arouse  intellect  or  entire  ambi- 
tion.    Great  men  of  the  past  can  do  little 


real. 


66  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

to  make  great  men  in  the  present.  They 
are  examples — but  they  are  dead.  If,  how- 
ever, my  Christ  is  a  living,  personal  Friend 
Who  has  dealt  with  me  and  made  Himself 
my  Saviour,  then  I  can  answer  to  His  call. 
And  trust  and  obedience  bring  me  to  Him 
very  closely  as  to  One  Who  is  here  in  my 
life,  even  as  union  with  Him  and  service 
for  Him  bring  Him  very  near  to  me.  The 
greatest  essential  in  Christianity  to-day,  it 
has  been  said,  is  the  realization  of  a  living 
Christ.  And  if  we  add  to  this  that  the 
greatest  power  to  make  men  good  and  use- 
ful is  the  realization  of  a  living  Christ 
present  with  them  we  have  the  fulness  of 
the  truth.  Christ  here  in  my  life;  not  in 
heaven;  not  far  away  in  the  centuries  in 
Palestine  and  then  blotted  out;  not  on 
earth  as  an  impersonal  force  through  His 
laws  and  decrees;  but  here — right  here  as 
I  think  and  walk  and  work,  that  is  what  I 
want. 
Deeper  And  then,  the  blessed  result  comes  in  my 

edge  of  deeper  knowledge  of  the  truth  of  God  in 
God'  all  its  mystery.  How  shall  I  come  to  know 
God  ?  How  shall  I  meet  the  contradictions 
between  finite  and  infinite,  between  my  de- 
sires and  my  struggles,  between  my  visions 
which  entrance  me  and  the  hard  prosaic 


MAN'S  RELATIONSHIP  TO  CHRIST.  67 

life  which  binds  me?  How  shall  I  know 
the  truth  of  the  Bible,  the  meaning  of  my 
creed,  the  mysteries  of  the  heavens  and  the 
vaster  mysteries  of  the  earth  and  of  hu- 
man experience  ?  Study,  cries  the  scholar. 
Investigate,  says  the  scientist.  Keason,  an- 
swers the  logician.  Only  believe ;  you  can 
never  understand,  whispers  the  victim  of 
credulity.  But  we  cannot  be  satisfied  with 
any  of  these,  for  they  have  done  so  little 
to  bring  God  near  enough  for  man  to  see 
and  know  Him.  Trust,  calls  the  Christ 
Himself.  Believe  in  Me  as  your  Friend. 
Obey  Me  as  your  Guide  Who  loves  you. 
Come  near  to  Me  in  communion.  Serve 
with  Me  to  make  the  world  good.  "  If 
any  man  will  do  his  will,  he  shall  know."  Doins  and 
And  men  have  done  the  will  and  they  have 
known.  Out  of  the  mystery  where  men 
said  He  dwelt ;  out  of  the  history  where 
men  placed  Him  as  a  being  of  the  past ;  out 
of  the  blind  faith  where  men  worshipped 
Him  as  an  unknown  and  unknowable  God ; 
out  of  the  mass  of  confusion  in  the  world's 
past  from  the  very  beginning;  out  of  the 
perplexity  and  the  care  and  the  mingling  of 
sorrow  and  joy  in  the  daily  life ;  out  of  the 
future  hidden  by  clouds  and  separated  from 


68  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

us  by  the  river  of  death — out  of  these  the 
Christ  has  come,  as  long  ago  He  came  out 
of  His  Garden  Grave,  and  has  appeared 
unto  many  and  made  their  lives  strong, 
their  love  deep,  their  faith  like  a  rock  and 
their  hearts  glad.  Is  not  that  what  we 
want  ?  Can  we  be  satisfied  with  theory  of 
the  present  or  hope  of  the  future  or  inci- 
dent of  the  past,  when  life's  insistent  call 
and  the  heart's  persistent  hunger  is  here? 
Are  you  and  I  willing  to  go  on  dealing 
with  possibilities  or  probabilities,  hoping 
against  hope,  tired  and  weary  beyond  tell- 
ing in  our  daily,  hourly  contest,  lonely, 
and  with  heart  aching,  and  crying,  with  no 
answer  to  be  heard  ?  Here  is  the  Christ 
of  our  Christianity — right  here.  Trust 
Him,  obey  Him,  draw  near  to  Him,  serve 
Him,  and  lo,  He  will  be  your  Christ,  your 
Friend,  and  you  will  have  peace. 

My  King,  my  Lord,  that  Thou  art 
near  me,  a  dear,  personal  Christ,  I 
thank  Thee!  O,  open  mine  eyes  that  I 
may  see  Thee,  and  mine  ears  that  I  may 
hear  Thee.  Nerve  my  arms  that  I  may 
do  what  Thou  wilt,  and  make  my  feet 
winged  that  I  may  go  where  Thou  biddest. 


MAN'S  RELATIONSHIP  TO  CHRIST.  69 

Then  shall  my  heart  be  glad,  and  my  life 
dear,  and  my  toil  a  blessing,  for  Thou  wilt 
be  near  me  ever  to  speak,  to  guide,  to  bless, 
to  save.     Amen. 


CHAPTER  V. 


THE  MORAL  LIFE. 


Moral  life 
God's 
blessing. 


God's  will 
— Good- 


ie considering  man's  relationship  to 
Christ,  we  saw  how  the  daily  living  must 
come  in  and  must  be  governed  by  the  will 
of  God,  and  find  its  source  of  righteous- 
ness in  man's  love  for  God.  It  is  very 
important  for  us  to  remember  that  the 
moral  life  is  not  that  which  fits  us  to  come 
to  God,  but  it  is  that  which  results  from 
God's  blessing  upon  us;  in  other  words,  I 
cannot  really  be  good  unless  I  love  God, 
and  any  goodness  which  I  may  have  in  the 
eyes  of  men,  without  having  a  love  of  God 
in  my  heart,  cannot,  in  the  sight  of  God, 
be  credited  as  worthy. 

We  find  in  this  the  marked  difference 
between  what  philosophers  commonly  call 
morality  and  Christian  morality.  Phi- 
losophers say  that  goodness  exists,  and  that 
man  must  conform  to  it ;  Christianity  says 
God's  will  is  goodness,  and  when  a  man 
does  God's  will  because  he  loves  God,  then 
70 


THE  MORAL  LIFE.  71 

lie  has  attained  or  is  on  his  way  to  attain 
the  highest  and  only  goodness. 

It  is  important  also  for  us  to  remember  L^voedfor 
that  love  for  God  must  ever  be  the  in- 
spiration to  help  us  to  do  and  to  be  what 
God  would  have  us  to  do  and  to  be.  I 
want  to  be  a  good  man ;  now,  I  do  not  be- 
gin upon  myself,  to  polish  and  to  struggle, 
but  I  go  to  my  heavenly  Father  and  tell 
Him  that  I  love  Him,  and  ask  Him  to 
give  me  grace  to  prove  my  love  by  my  life. 
It  is  even  so  in  our  relationship  with  each 
other  here  on  earth.  I  wish  to  do  what  my 
friend  thinks  is  right  because  I  love  my 
friend.  Of  course,  my  friend  is  imperfect, 
and  so,  I  cannot  perfectly  abide  by  his 
judgment,  but  just  in  proportion  as  he  is 
right,  so  my  doing  of  his  will  results  from 
my  love  for  him. 

The  moral  life  is  most  important  in  con-  Moral  life, 
nection  with  the  Christian  because  he  can- 
not make  any  progress  unless  he  does  what 
is  right,  and  because  his  love  for  God  can- 
not be  real  unless  he  tries  to  do  God's  will. 
We  find  that  the  moral  life  has  many  con- 
ditions, many  responsibilities.  First  of  all 
it  has  to  do  with  the  man's  individual  life ; 
he  is  bound  to  follow  God's  will  in  every- 
thing— his  health,  his  occupation,  his  ac- 


THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

tivity,  his  kindness  of  speech,  his  charity 
of  thought,  all  these  things  have  to  do  with 
his  moral  living,  indeed,  they  constitute  it. 
If  he  gives  way  to  passion,  or  if  he  lets 
himself  sink  into  despondency,  or  if  he  is 
selfish,  then  he  not  only  falls  away  from 
the  ideal  of  perfection,  but  he  proves  to 
God  that  he  does  not  love  Him.  If  his 
heart  is  really  full  of  love  for  God,  then, 
while  he  may  make  mistakes  and  fall,  he 
will  always  rebound  and  come  back  again 
to  the  normal  position  of  his  life,  just  as 
the  needle  of  a  compass  will  move  around 
with  the  motion  of  the  vessel  but  always 
come  back  to  its  right  position. 

There  is  also  the  moral  life  of  the  man 
as  regards  the  world  about  him.  He  is 
bound  not  only  to  do  right,  but  also  to  work 
righteousness.  He  is  not  in  the  world  sim- 
ply to  take  care  of  himself,  but  to  make  the 
world  a  better,  purer  place  because  he  lives 
in  it.  Therefore,  as  a  Christian,  he  is 
bound  to  do  all  that  he  can,  as  we  saw  in 
our  last  chapter,  to  bring  the  Kingdom  of 
God.  Hence,  he  has  to  struggle  not  only 
with  himself  but  with  the  evil  things  of  the 
world,  and  he  has  to  strive  not  only  to  make 
himself  good,  but  to  make  others  good. 


THE  MORAL  LItE.  73 

And  again  it  is  to  be  remembered  that  Moral 
there  is  a  positive  side  of  the  Christian 
life  which  has  to  do  with  growth.  It  is  a 
very  grave  question  whether  a  man  can  be 
called  moral  who  does  not  advance  in  all 
of  those  things  which  have  to  do  with  health 
and  happiness  and  goodness.  And  so  he 
must  deal  with  the  world,  causing  it  to  ad- 
vance in  health  and  happiness  and  good- 
ness, as  a  part  of  his  moral  living.  This 
puts  before  the  man  a  somewhat  bewilder- 
ing number  of  duties,  but  it  also  gives  him 
the  magnificent  exhilaration  of  opportunity. 

Let  us  think  now  of  the  practical  case  Measure 
of  a  Christian  in  regard  to  his  moral  liv-  growth, 
ing.  And  first,  it  is  a  matter  of  posi- 
tion ;  he  must  keep  his  face  toward  God 
and  his  back  toward  all  which  is  contrary 
to  or  inferior  to  God.  So  long  as  I  look 
at  my  King  and  will  not  suffer  my  eyes 
to  rest  anywhere  save  on  His  face,  I  am 
bound  to  progress  in  the  right  direction. 
If  I  let  my  eyes  wander  after  other  things, 
and  love  other  people  better  than  I  love 
my  King,  I  am  bound  just  in  that  propor- 
tion to  fail.  Hence,  I  can  measure  my 
morality  pretty  largely  by  my  answer  to 
the  question,  Am  I  facing  towards  God? 

Again,  the  moral  life  is  largely  governed 


74  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

Culture.  by  one's  feeling  or  practice,  perhaps  we 
had  better  say  by  one's  discrimination.  St. 
Paul  defines  culture  as  the  ability  to  ap- 
prove things  which  are  excellent.  The 
Christian,  as  he  associates  with  Christ 
through  prayer  and  the  reading  of  the 
Bible,  readily  learns  the  things  which 
Christ  loves.  Now  to  love  those  things, 
even  as  he  hates  the  things  which  Christ 
hates,  is  to  put  himself  in  a  moral  position 

Hating  which  will  help  him  to  live  practically  the 
moral  life.  Here  again,  we  may  test  our- 
selves by  asking,  each  for  himself :  "  Do 
I  hate  evil  ?  Even  when  I  yield  to  it 
through  my  weakness,  do  I  still  hate  it, 
and  do  I  rebound  from  it  ?  Is  it  unpleasant 
in  its  nature  even  while  fascinating  in  its 
momentary  allurement  ? "  These  two 
great  truths  bearing  upon  the  moral  life, 
namely,  position  and  discernment,  will  be 
found  to  be  wonderful  helps  not  only  in 
deciding  what  we  ought  to  do,  but  in  giving 
us  power  to  act  aright. 

flight  Again,  we  must  recognize  the  necessity 

ment.  of  having  a  clear  and  a  strong  judgment 
upon  those  questions  which  affect  the  life 
of  a  community.  What  Wilberforce  calls 
the  "  trinity  of  evil,"  namely,  intemper- 
ance,  impurity   and   dishonesty,   are  foes 


THE  MORAL  LIFE.  75 

which  are  trying  to  eat  out  the  life  of  hu- 
manity; they  are  the  emissaries  of  Satan 
and  the  enemies  of  God.  If  we  can  only 
have  a  clear  judgment  which  will  never 
falter  regarding  these  things,  and  if  we  are  dea? 
willing  to  fight  in  order  that  the  will  of  the  views, 
people  expressed  in  law  may  be  marked 
as  against  them,  then  we  are  bringing  our 
own  moral  life,  as  well  as  the  life  of  people 
in  general,  nearer  to  the  position  which 
God  would  have  it  occupy.  In  other  words, 
man  must  have  a  strong  determination  as 
regards  the  good  of  the  world  and  a  con- 
stant, active  participation  in  the  struggle 
between  good  and  evil. 

Of  course  we  must  recognize  that  in  A  hard 
the  problems  of  life,  even  those  presented 
by  the  conflict  between  good  and  evil,  there 
may  be  differences  of  opinion  as  to  method ; 
there  may  be  even  differences  of  opinion 
as  to  the  violation  of  the  law  of  right  in 
this  or  that  particular.  And  this  is  one  of 
the  hardest  things  which  the  Christian  has 
to  face,  because  he  finds  good  men  in  whom 
he  has  confidence  differing  from  himself 
in  methods  which  to  him  are  most  impor- 
tant and  concerning  which  he  has  a  fixed 
opinion.  In  this  case  the  Christian  needs 
charity,   he  needs  to  call  upon  God  for 


THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

wisdom,  and  above  all  else  he  needs  a  strong 
conviction  which  will  refuse  to  move  from 
its  judgment  unless  proved  wrong.  We 
are  sometimes  inclined  to  criticise  the  stern 
old  Puritans,  but  after  all,  their  magnifi- 
cent adherence  to  what  they  believed  to  be 
the  truth  and  their  readiness  to  suffer  any- 
thing rather  than  change  their  opinions  of 
right  mus*  make  us  admire  them;  and 
Christianity  needs  to-day  a  good  deal  of 
the  same  virile  determination.  One  grows 
weary  of  cowardice  among  Christians,  and 
one  is  made  sorrowful  by  the  ease  with 
which  a  Christian  will  smile  at  the  weak- 
ness of  others,  or  even  on  occasion  yield 
to  it.  It  is  not  necessary  for  the  child  of 
Christ  to  go  out  and  strike  on  the  head 
every  one  who  differs  from  him  in  any  mat- 
ter of  right  or  wrong;  but  it  is  necessary 
that  he  should  be  so  absolutely  sincere 
and  true  as  to  let  his  opinions  be  known 
and  to  speak  a  word  for  what  he  believes 
to  be  right. 

The  same  thing  is  true  regarding  the 
church,  which  is  a  body  of  Christians.  The 
church  must  not  only  teach  morality  to  her 
members  but  she  must  enforce  morality  as 
a  part  of  her  work.  The  church  exists  first 
to  declare  God  to  the  world,  and  secondly 


THE  MORAL  LIFE.  77 

to  bring  the  world  to  God.  As  a  part  of 
her  bringing  the  world  to  God  she  is  bound 
to  proclaim  God's  will,  and  in  proclaiming 
that  will  she  is  bound  to  inform  people  of 
the  things  which  violate  that  will.  In 
matters,  therefore,  affecting  public  welfare 
and  in  all  matters  having  to  do  with  the 
physical  or  mental  growth  of  men,  she  has 
a  responsibility  to  bear.  It  is  not  enough 
for  the  church  to  say  to  the  individual, 
"  Thou  shalt  not  kill  "  and  "  Thou  shalt 
not  steal ;  "  it  is  for  her  to  cry  out  against 
those  things  which  tend  to  murder  and 
against  those  things  which  lead  to  theft. 

Let  us  now  find  how  the  individual  Keep  near 
Christian  can  bring  himself  to  a  high  moral 
condition.  First,  and  it  is  the  old  truth, 
he  must  keep  near  to  God.  If  righteous- 
ness is  God's  will,  then  the  man  who  knows 
God  best  is  the  one  who  can  judge  con- 
cerning righteousness.  The  man  who 
prays,  who  reads  the  Bible  and  worships 
God  in  church,  and  knows  what  it  is  to 
commune  with  his  Master,  he  is  the  man 
who  is  sensitive  about  goodness ;  he  knows 
what  God  wills  because  he  knows  God. 

Second,  the  Christian  needs  to  hold  him-  Never  de- 
self  from  despondency.     So  long  as  we  are     spon  ' 
human  we  are  sure  to  make  mistakes.    We 


78  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

are  not  angels,  but  men,  fighting  our  way 
towards  heavenly  places.  When  we  fall  it 
is  not  a  proof  that  we  are  corrupt  or  that 
God  has  forsaken  us;  it  is  only  a  warning 
that  we  should  be  more  carefully  on  our 
guard.  We  confess  our  sins  to  God  and 
He  forgives  them  through  Christ,  and  so 
long  as  we  live  we  shall  have  to  keep  on 
doing  it.  Even  St.  Paul  cried  out,  "  O 
wretched  man  that  I  am !  "  But  it  is  really 
the  man  who  goes  to  God  with  tears,  and 
asks  forgiveness,  and  then  arises  to  struggle 
again,  who  has  the  highest  element  of  mo- 
rality. Men  may  not  understand  it  be- 
cause they  cannot  understand  his  weakness, 
but  God  knows  and  understands.  Never 
despair,  my  friend,  because  Satan  some- 
times gets  the  better  of  you.  Remember 
that  the  very  fact  that  you  are  sorry  proves 
that  you  hate  the  evil  thing. 
What  And  third,  the  Christian  must  remember 

that,  after  all,  the  battle  is  the  Lord's,  and 
that  he  is  fighting  under  the  King.  There- 
fore, it  is  what  the  King  does  that  counts. 
What  I  mean  by  this  is,  that  we  must  re- 
member that  in  ourselves  and  in  the  world 
victory  is  to  be  gained  by  Christ  and  by 
His  truth.  If  I  want  to  make  men  live 
moral  lives  I  must  bring  them  Christian- 


THE  MORAL  LIFE.  79 

ity ;  I  must  teach  them  how  to  love  God  and 
to  worship  Christ  and  to  give  themselves  to 
the  guidance  of  the  Holy  Spirit;  then,  in 
spite  of  their  weaknesses,  they  will  come 

■  to  a  larger  and  fuller  life  into  which  good-  The  fuller 
ness  will  enter  as  supreme,  and  evil  take 
a  subordinate  place.  If  we  remember  this 
we  will  be  saved  from  much  anxiety  when 
we  sometimes  do  not  see  the  world  grow- 
ing better  as  rapidly  as  we  would  like. 
There  may  be,  and  there  undoubtedly  is, 
fault  somewhere  amongst  those  who  ought 
to  act  more  bravely;  but  when  we  look 
through  the  history  of  the  centuries,  we 
learn  that  it  is  God  Himself  Who  is  bring- 
ing the  world  to  perfection.  When  I  look 
at  myself  I  must  not  be  impatient,  but  know 
that  the  holiness  for  which  I  long  is  the 
gift  of  God?  and  will  come  in  due  time  if  I 
faint  not.  When  I  look  at  the  world,  while 
I  hear  its  calls  and  know  that  I  must  re- 
spond to  them,  at  the  same  time  I  must  re- 
member that  it  is  God  Who  is  working,  and 

,  that  my  efforts  are  of  avail  only  as  He 
blesses  them.  In  other  words  we  must  all 
lie  back  upon  that  great  living  power  of 
the  Christ  Who  said  prophetically  upon 
the  cross,  "  It  is  finished,"  and  know  that 
He  is  bringing  the  world  to  Himself.    We 


80  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

Under  the    must  put  ourselves  under  Him  as  His  sol- 
Master.      ,.  .  ■,    .  -,        .   , 

diers;  we  must  bring  ourselves  into  com- 
munion with  Him  so  that  we  may  grow 
more  and  more  like  Him;  we  must  try  to 
make  the  world  conform  to  His  standards ; 
but  all  the  while  we  must  trust  Him  ab- 
solutely, and  know  that  in  His  own  time 
and  way  He  will  fulfil  His  purpose. 

0  Lord,  I  beseech  Thee,  teach  me  Thy 
righteousness.  Help  me  to  love  Thee  and 
so  to  be  full  of  a  longing  to  do  Thy  will. 
Help  me  to  keep  my  face  towards  Thee, 
and  to  hate  the  thing  which  Thou  hatest 
even  as  I  love  the  thing  which  Thou  com- 
mandest.  Let  me  struggle  for  the  world's 
salvation,  and  yet  let  me  always  look  at 
the  Cross,  and  know  that  Thou  alone  canst 
save.  Purify  me  by  Thine  own  grace,  for 
I  cannot  purify  myself.  Give  me  a  vision 
of  holy  things  that  I  may  love  them  more. 
Let  me  never  be  discouraged,  even  in  the 
heat  of  the  battle  when  the  way  seems  long 
and  the  conflict  endless.  And  when  Thou 
canst,  O  Christ,  speak  to  me  a  word  of 
cheer,  even  as  Thou  didst  speak  to  Thy 
disciples  in  the  midst  of  the  storm  on  Gal- 
ilee, and  say;  "It  is  I,  be  not  afraid." 
Amen. 


CHAPTEK  VI. 

THE  LIFE  OF  SERVICE. 

We  are  dealing  with  the  practical  side 
of  the  Christian  life,  that  is,  the  side 
which  results  from  God's  love  for  us  and 
our  love  for  Him.  We  have  tried  to  see 
how  we  ought  to  live  daily,  and  how  we 
ought  to  live  for  the  life  of  the  world. 
Now  let  us  think  of  the  life  of  service 
which  means  the  giving  up  of  one's  self 
entirely  to  do  the  will  of  God.  It  is  most 
important  for  us  to  remember  that  we 
are  in  this  world  (and  we  have  expressed 
this  fact  more  than  once)  not  to  do  our 
own  will,  but  the  will  of  God;  in'  other 
words,  I  am  not  here  to  get  rich,  or  to  have 
pleasure,  or  to  gain  wisdom,  or  to  exercise 
authority,  but  I  am  here  to  do  what  God 
wants  me  to  do. 

Service  has  two  directions ;  it  is  towards  service 
God  and  towards  men.     Every  power  I     twofold- 
81 


82  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

have,  physically,  mentally  or  spiritually, 
every  opportunity  which  comes  to  me  of 
any  kind  whatsoever,  all  my  time,  all  my 
daily  occupations,  all  my  associations  are 
to  be  brought  into  this  one  great  focus, 
namely,  to  serve  God.  While  that  may 
seem  at  first  to  be  a  little  overwhelming  it 
really  is  tremendously  comforting.  There 
is  nothing  that  helps  a  man  so  much  in  this 
world  as  a  simplifying  of  those  things 
which  in  themselves  seem  confusing.  Here 
I  am  with  a  thousand  emotions,  listening 
to  a  thousand  calls,  beset  by  a  thousand 
pleadings  from  within  and  from  without, 
my  days,  many  or  few,  full  of  opportunity ; 
and  the  whole  thing  is  somewhat  of  a  mud- 
dle !  What  does  it  all  mean  ?  How  can  I 
explain  it  ?  And  here  comes  the  direct 
answer  from  the  dear  God  Who  placed  me 
here  in  this  environment.  He  says  to  me : 
Everything  is  to  be  interpreted  by  service. 
All  these  things  bring  to  you  a  call  to  help 
Me  and  to  help  your  fellow  man.  Not  one 
single  thing  you  do  but  has  an  influence 
in  the  world's  life;  not  one  single  thing 
you  say  but  may  make  men  better  or  worse. 
To  serve  Me  and  to  serve  My  children  is 
the  one  truth  which  embraces  all  other 
truths. 


THE  LIFE  OF  SERVICE.  83 

It  may  be  well  for  us  to  indicate  very  Howren- 
directly  how  this  service  may  be  rendered. 
In  the  first  place,  then,  we  want  to  do 
everything  that  we  do,  no  matter  how  sim- 
ple, in  God's  name.  Whether  we  eat  or 
drink,  or  whatsoever  we  do,  we  are  to  do 
all  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  That 
makes  everything  holy,  even  the  common 
routine  of  the  day.  It  makes  the  struggle 
and  the  denial,  as  well  as  the  breathing 
and  the  thinking,  a  part  of  the  devo- 
tion of  the  soul  towards  God.  It  must 
be,  then,  that  God  uses  these  things  in  some 
way,  we  know  not  how,  for  the  advancement 
of  His  Kingdom.  Think  of  the  inspiration 
of  that !  If  I  take  care  of  my  body,  if  I 
eat  my  breakfast  thankfully,  if  I  read  my 
book,  or  write  my  letter,  or  sell  my  goods, 
or  teach  my  class,  or  make  my  clothes,  or 
play  my  music,  or  paint  my  picture,  with 
the  realization  that  in  doing  it  I  am  serv- 
ing God,  must  there  not  come  a  perfect 
glory  of  light  about  all  these  things  which 
shall  make  them  very  dear  and  very  sacred  ? 
There  can  be  no  question  but  that  we 
make  our  lives  far  more  miserable  than 
they  need  be  simply  because  we  forget  this 
great  fact.  A  woman  talks  of  her  house- 
hold drudgery,  or  a  man  wearies  of  the 


84  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

Delight  work  which  he  carries  on  for  ten  hours  a 
drudg-  day,  and  they  both  complain  that  the  bur- 
ery'  den  is  heavy,  and  they  both  look  forward 

to  the  time  when  they  can  throw  the  bur- 
dens off,  either  in  this  world  or  the  next. 
Does  that  seem  reasonable?  Is  there  not 
some  way  in  which  we  can  find  an  enthu- 
siasm for  life  which  shall  make  everything 
beautiful,  and  reveal  to  the  eye  and  to  the 
soul  a  splendor  undreamed  of  before  ?  We 
find  such  an  explanation  in  this  truth  of 
serving  God.  Everything  is  exalted,  noth- 
ing is  mean  or  low,  and  the  dear  God 
stands  over  all,  blessing  and  rejoicing. 
D'fficuit  ^s  re£ards  our  service  for  men,  we  some- 

butnot  times  find  it  a  little  more  difficult,  first, 
because  men  do  not  understand,  and  sec- 
ondly because  they  often  oppose.  It  is 
hard  to  help  a  man  who  does  not  know 
what  you  are  trying  to  do  for  him.  There 
are  a  great  many  people  in  this  world 
whom  we  would  like  to  help,  yet  it  seems 
almost  impossible  because  they  cannot  see 
from  our  point  of  view.  I  cannot  make 
my  child  know  altogether  the  advantage 
of  study;  I  cannot  make  my  lazy  friend 
grasp  the  advantage  of  early  rising;  I  can- 
not induce  my  Christian  brother  to  under- 
stand the  joy  of  helping  others.    And  yet, 


THE  LIFE  OF  SERVICE.  85 

this  very  difficulty  ought  really  to  increase 
our  earnestness  because  it  shows  us  the 
importance  of  what  we  are  trying  to  do. 
It  is  not  the  easy  work  in  this  world  that 
is  always  or  generally  the  most  satisfactory. 
When  you  have  succeeded  in  doing  a  hard 
thing,  then  you  have  a  real  enjoyment. 
We  must  not,  therefore,  be  discouraged  or 
cease  our  efforts  simply  because  men  do  not 
understand  our  desire  to  serve  them.  Of 
course  we  must  not  unduly  force  ourselves 
upon  them;  we  must  have  a  respect  for 
humanity  to  keep  us  from  being  intrusive. 
But,  on  the  other  hand,  we  must  have  al- 
ways an  eye  quick  to  see  need,  and  a  heart 
quick  to  feel  trouble,  and  a  nerve  quick 
to  sympathize. 

It  is  the  opposition  of  men  which  is  the  Fighting 
more  difficult  thing  to  meet.  You  want  to 
establish  some  public  good,  and  men  who 
prefer  the  evil  fight  against  your  efforts; 
you  want  to  promote  temperance,  and  the 
saloon-keeper  and  the  manufacturer  back 
of  the  saloon-keeper  are  up  in  arms;  you 
want  to  make  your  friend  a  Christian,  and 
your  friend,  not  understanding  Christian- 
ity, and  thinking  it  a  bondage,  fights  you 
at  every  turn.  What  shall  we  say  about 
this  in  connection  with  service  ?    Certainly 


evils. 


86 


THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 


we  must  say  that  it  demands  on  our  part 
the  same  gentleness  and  persistency  and 
love  that  we  find  in  Christ.  It  is  a  wonder- 
ful thing  to  study  the  Gospels  and  see 
how  Christ  served  men.  ISTot  merely  the 
things  He  did  but  the  way  in  which  He 
did  them,  will  afford  a  wonderful  revela- 
tion of  Christ's  character.  He  never  seemed 
to  force  Himself  upon  men,  and  He  never 
seemed  to  be  wearied  by  their  opposition, 
and  He  kept  on  in  such  a  strong,  un- 
ceasing effort  both  by  word  and  deed  to  do 
what  He  knew  they  needed  to  have  done  for 

With  com-  them,  that  we  are  filled  with  admiration 
passion.  anc|  wonder.  We  must  do  the  same.  Look- 
ing about  us  and  seeing  the  multitudes  we 
must  be  filled  with  compassion;  hearing 
their  cry  we  must  have  a  response,  as  the 
Shepherd  had  a  response  for  the  cry  of  His 
lost  sheep ;  and  even  though  the  ones  most 
needing  help  oppose  us,  we  must  keep  on, 
because  we  are  doing  what  God  wants  us 
to  do,  and  He,  by  and  by,  will  soften  the 
material  and  enable  us  to  mould  it  into  a 
beautiful  likeness  unto  Himself. 

Patience.  There  are  some  special  characteristics  we 
need  in  connection  with  this  service  which 
we  will  enumerate.  The  first  is  tremen- 
dous  patience.      Creatures  of   a   day   as 


THE  LIFE  OF  SERVICE.  87 

we  are,  we  seem  to  imagine  that  in  our  life- 
time everything  ought  to  be  accomplished. 
It  becomes  almost  ludicrous  when  we  stop  The  ludi- 
to  think  of  it,  that  we  little  men,  living  on  j^*3 
an  average  fifty  or  sixty  years,  and  having 
about  forty  years  of  real  useful  power  in 
the  world,  think  that  we  can  do  or  ought  to 
do  everything  in  creation  while  we  live! 
We  ought  to  grow  big  enough  to  recognize 
ourselves  as  a  part  of  eternity,  and  to 
know,  first,  that  we  are  going  to  serve  for 
eternity,  and  second,  that  the  seed  sown 
is  bound  to  bring  forth  fruit  even  though 
the  harvest-time  may  be  delayed.  It  is  the 
patient  man  who  has  a  larger  view  of  things 
than  the  man  of  nervous  fussiness;  he  is 
not  worried  because  the  return  does  not 
come  immediately ;  he  casts  his  bread  upon 
the  waters  and  is  willing  to  find  it  after 
many  days;  he  breathes  a  higher  atmos- 
phere than  the  mere  environment  of  thirty 
or  forty  years  on  a  little  continent;  the 
whole  wTorld  is  his,  and  all  time  is  his,  be- 
cause he  is  the  child  of  God.  Patience 
enters  into  our  daily  life,  and  makes  us 
quiet,  uncomplaining,  tender,  gentle,  and 
above  all  full  of  faith.  Without  patience 
little  can  be  done  in  the  way  of  true  service. 


THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

Again,  if  we  are  to  serve  rightly  we  must 
have  that  love  in  our  hearts  which  shall 
make  us  care  for  the  one  whom  we  are 
serving,  and  also  care  for  the  very  service 
itself.  We  want  to  guard  against  thinking 
that  the  things  we  do  are  only  means  to  an 
end.  They  are  that,  but  they  are  really  a 
great  deal  more.  As  everything  is  impor- 
tant in  God's  sight,  so  my  very  effort  to  do 
a  good  thing  has  an  importance  of  its  own. 
I  ought  to  love  the  very  words  I  speak  and 
the  work  I  do  for  others'  sake,  and  I  ought 
to- love  even  the  most  unworthy  of  men,  yes, 
even  the  most  unattractive  of  men,  because 
I  am  trying  to  do  something  for  their  good. 
This  love  of  work  for  the  work's  sake,  and 
this  love  of  others  because  they  are  God's 
children  must  ever  be  the  greatest  inspira- 
tion which  God,  Who  is  Himself  love,  has 
given  us. 

And  finally  we  must  remember  that  this 
service  must  be  unceasing.  We  are  never 
to  give  up,  and  so  long  as  we  live  we  are 
to  work.  Indeed,  from  our  Lord's  words 
we  are  bound  to  believe  that  we  are  going 
to  work  forever,  even  as  God  works.  The 
only  difference  between  heaven  and  earth, 
so  far  as  toil  is  concerned,  is  that  there 
we  shall  wrork  without  weariness  and  with- 


THE  LIFE  OF  SERVICE.  89 

out  opposition.  Think,  then,  how  blessed 
it  is  to  keep  on,  never  to  give  up,  always 
to  hope,  always  to  find  new  courage,  awak- 
ing each  morning  with  new  determination, 
and  starting  out  for  each  endeavor  with 
new  enthusiasm.  Think  of  the  richness 
and  fulness  of  a  Christian  life  which  finds 
in  all  things  a  secret  hidden  from  men  but 
clearly  revealed  in  the  joy  which  comes 
to  the  worker.  Above  all  think  of  the  con- 
stant companionship  of  Him  Who  is  with 
us  while  we  serve,  with  Whom  we  are  co- 
laborers,  and  Who  never  fails  to  see,  and 
Who  never  will  forget. 

Dear  Lord,  help  me  to  serve  Thee.  I 
can  do  little,  but  Thou  canst  make  my  little 
great.  I  am  ignorant  and  weak,  but  Thy 
wisdom  and  Thy  strength  Thou  wilt  give 
to  me.  Help  me  to  rejoice  in  my  service. 
Help  me  to  know  that  the  harvest  is  sure. 
Help  me  to  remember  that  Thou  art  near, 
and  grant  that  my  life  may  be  fruitful  so 
that  at  last  when  I  see  Thee  Thou  canst 
welcome  me  to  a  larger  and  more  glorious 
opportunity.  For  Thine  own  dear  sake  I 
ask  it.    Amen. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


PUBLIC  LIFE. 


We  are  trying  to  see  how  the  Christian 
has  a  duty,  just  because  he  is  the  child  of 
God,  in  the  world  wThich  God  has  made. 
He  is  to  do  good  and  work  righteousness  be- 
cause he  is  a  loyal  child  of  a  divinely 
loving  Father. 
In  the  We  come  now  to  think  of  the  public  life 

"cfiti  °^  a  Christian-  It  is  not  an  easy  thing 
for  a  Christian  man  to  bring  himself  to 
the  right  position  which  God  expects  him 
to  hold  in  connection  with  the  life  about 
him.  In  the  first  place  the  world  is  very 
confusing;  it  is  full  of  contradictions  and 
misunderstandings  and  perplexities.  More- 
over there  is  a  large  difference  of  opinion 
among  good  people  as  to  what  things  should 
be  done  and  how  they  should  be  done. 
Then,  too,  there  are  so  many  great  problems 
facing  us,  particularly  in  this  day  and  gen- 
90 


PUBLIC  LIFE.  91 

eration,  that  we  are  made  almost  dizzy  by 
the  responsibility  of  life.  And  yet  again, 
if  we  are  truly  humble  in  spirit  we  hesitate 
about  pushing  our  own  ideas  of  right  or 
making  ourselves  prominent  in  doing  the 
work  of  God.  But  all  these  difficulties 
ought  simply  to  make  us  more  earnest  and 
more  determined.  We  must  remember 
that  we  are  God's  children  placed  in  this 
world  to  do  a  divine  work  for  our  Father ; 
that  we  have  the  life  of  Jesus  Christ  our 
Saviour  as  our  inspiration  and  our  strength, 
and  that  we  have  the  Holy  Spirit  Who  will 
direct  us  if  we  are  only  loyal  and  true. 

There  are  two  sides  to  be  considered  in  Two  sides 
the  public  life  of  a  Christian.     First,  the     £epublic 
life  of  example,  and  then  the  life  of  ag- 
gressive  influence.      While   the    Christian 
must  never  become  self-conscious,  he  must 
know  that  he  is  bearing  witness,  and  that 
the  Master  is  judged  by  the  life  that  His 
child  leads.     Therefore,  he  must  avoid  all 
appearance  of  evil;  he  must  show  by  his 
words,  and  by  his  acts,  and  by  the  whole 
movement  of  his  life,  that  kindness  and 
gentleness   which   Jesus   Himself   showed  ofex- 
when  He  was  upon  earth ;  he  must  avoid     amp  e* 
positively  even  those  things  which  for  him 
may  be  innocent,  if  there  is  danger  of  his 


92  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

injuring  others  by  doing  them.  He  must 
keep  before  him  a  very  high  ideal  of  per- 
sonal purity,  temperance  and  goodness,  and 
never  suffer  that  ideal  to  be  lowered  even 
by  those  who  are  dear  to  him.  He  must 
be  faithful  in  those  things  which  God  bids 
him  do,  the  observance  of  those  means  of 
grace  of  which  we  will  speak  later  on. 
It  is  impossible  for  a  Christian  to  wield 
an  influence  which  shall  tell  unless  he  is  a 
man  of  prayer,  a  man  who  reads  his  Bible, 
a  man  who  goes  to  church,  and  a  man  who 
in  all  things  rejoices  to  be  in  close  com- 
munion with  his  Lord. 
in  world's  But  the  most  difficult  part  of  the  Chris- 
struggle,  tj^'g  ]ife  js  that  which  bids  him  take  an 
active  share  in  the  world's  struggle.  And 
here  we  face  that  opinion,  held  for  many 
years  by  good  Christians  and  exemplified 
too  much  by  the  church  in  the  past,  and 
still  held  by  many  at  the  present  day,  that 
the  church  has  nothing  to  do  with  the 
problems  of  life,  whether  of  state  or  of 
society,  and  that  the  individual  Christian 
must  avoid  all  of  those  unseemly  contro- 
versies which  may  tend  to  bring  dust  and 
stain  upon  his  personal  life.  It  has  been 
said  that  the  church  should  not  interfere 
in  questions  of  politics ;  that  she  has  noth- 


PUBLIC  LIFE.  93 

ing  to  do  with  the  contest  between  capital 
and  labor ;  that  it  is  not  her  business  to  see 
that  cities  are  clean,  £nd  tenements  decent, 
and  the  laws  regarding  public  welfare 
obeyed ;  and  too  often  is  the  Christian  told 
that  he  would  be  a  much  better  and  wiser 
man  if  he  kept  himself  aloof  from  all  these 
things  and  simply  tried  to  serve  God  by 
living  himself  a  pure  life.  We  are  begin- 
ning to  learn  now,  and  I  thank  God  for  it, 
that  all  this  is  a  mistake.  The  church  is  in 
the  world  as  the  Kingdom  of  God  in  em- 
bryo to  bring  the  Kingdom  of  God  ex- 
tensively. It  is  her  business  to  purify  the 
world.  Christ  so  taught  in  His  parables; 
"  Ye  are  the  light  of  the  world."  Ye  are 
"leaven."     Ye   are   "salt."     And   while  Christians: 

salt. 

Christ  Himself  did  not  establish  any  re- 
forms, He  gave  the  seed  of  those  reforms, 
not  only  in  His  words  but  in  His  works. 
So  the  individual  Christian  is  in  the  world 
to  make  the  world  better,  and  he  is  bound 
to  enter  into  all  of  the  world's  life,  and 
realize  that  because  he  is  a  Christian  man, 
nothing  relating  to  humanity  can  be  with- 
out interest  to  him.  It  brings  a  magnifi- 
cent exhilaration  and  courage  to  a  Chris- 
tian when  he  feels  himself  thus  called ;  he 
finds  a  meaning  for  his  life  not   appre- 


94:  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

hended  before,  and  he  catches  a  vision  of  a 
glorious  future  which  gives  him  hope  and 
courage. 
Three  ^g  an  iHustration  of  what  the  Christian 

ques- 

t:ons.  ought  to  do,  we  will  take  three  great  public 
questions.  The  first  is  that  of  purity.  We 
live  in  a  day,  and  it  is  not  exceptional  in 
the  history  of  the  ages,  when  bad  books  and 
bad  plays  are  poisoning  the  minds  of  thou- 
sands. It  is  startling  to  read  some  of  the 
books  which  are  commonly  read  and  com- 
monly discussed  amongst  supposedly  good 
men  and  women.  It  is  still  more  startling 
to  see  the  plays  on  the  stage  which  are  en- 
dorsed by  their  presence  by  even  church 
people.  As  a  result  we  have  innumerable 
divorces,  and  the  marriage  life  and  the 
home  life  have  been  driven  to  a  depth  of 
wretchedness  which  is  appalling.  Now  the 
Purity.  individual  Christian  must  not  only  keep 
himself  pure  but  he  must  fight  for  purity. 
He,  and  the  church  to  which  he  belongs, 
which  is  the  body  of  Christ,  must  enforce 
upon  the  world  those  high  principles  of 
righteousness  which  shall  make  people  see 
that  they  cannot  play  with  pitch  without  be- 
ing defiled.  There  must  be  a  recognition 
of  the  marriage  tie  as  a  type  of  the  union 
of  Christ  with  His  church,  and  the  awful- 


PUBLIC  LIFE.  95 

ness  of  a  separation  between  those  who 
have  vowed  before  God  to  love  and  to 
cherish  each  other  until  death,  must  be  rec- 
ognized. Those  who  play  with  holy  things 
must  be  marked  and  not  allowed  to  assume 
a  position  as  if  they  were  innocent,  and 
warnings  to  the  young  must  be  given  with- 
out stint.  Even  to-day,  although  much  is 
being  done,  the  vast  majority  of  people 
fail  to  realize  the  awful  extent  to  which  im- 
purity is  weakening  and  destroying  man- 
hood and  womanhood.  There  are  societies 
for  the  prevention  of  social  vice,  and  there 
are  strong  efforts  made  to  save  the  inno- 
cent; but  unfortunately,  the  great  masses 
of  Christian  people  do  not  take  the  interest 
in  these  things  that  they  ought,  some  be- 
cause they  have  a  false  modesty,  and  others 
because  they  are  half-hearted.  We  declare 
without  any  hesitation  that  it  is  the  part 
of  a  Christian  man  in  such  a  struggle  as 
this  which  is  upon  us,  not  only  to  hold 
high  ideals  for  himself  but  to  press  upon 
others  and  demand  that  they  accept  the 
same  ideals. 

The  next  problem  which  faces  us  to-day,   Poor  and 
and  it  is  of  equal  importance,  is  that  of 
the  relationship  between  the  poor  and  the 
rich,  between  those  who  have  not  had  from 


rich. 


96  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

birth  many  advantages,  and  those  who  have 
had,  by  inheritance,  great  advantages. 
Love  of  money  is  the  root  of  all  evil,  not 
money  itself  but  the  inordinate  love  of  it ; 
and  to-day  there  are  so  many  cases  of  the 
grinding  down  of  the  poor  by  the  rich  that 
it  is  difficult  for  an  honest  man  to  restrain 
his  righteous  indignation.  The  wretched 
houses  in  which  poor  people  often  live, 
owned  by  wealthy  men;  the  miserable 
wages  often  paid;  the  long  hours  of  em- 
ployment of  girls  in  positions  for  which 
they  are  quite  unsuited;  the  work  of  chil- 
dren who  ought  to  be  in  school ;  the  cruelty 
towards  little  ones  of  a  sadly  tender  age, — 
all  these  things,  and  many  more,  mark  the 
characteristics  of  a  conflict  in  which  the 
church  and  the  Christian  must  take  a  part. 
For-  There  are  faults,  of  course,  on  the  side 

of  the  poor.  The  many  foreigners  who 
come  to  our  shores  here  in  America,  and 
the  many  people  throughout  the  world  who 
have  almost  lost  hope  because  of  years  of 
the  pressure  of  poverty,  make  mistakes  be- 
cause of  their  ignorance ;  but  that  is  all  the 
more  reason  why  there  should  not  be  exer- 
cised upon  them  the  cruelty  which  wealth 
and  the  power  of  wealth  often  exert.  The 
sympathy  of  the  Christian  should  always 


eigners. 


PUBLIC  LIFE.  97 

be  with  the  poor;  it  was  so  with  Christ. 
And  while  he  must  never  be  unjust  in  his 
judgments,  he  must  recognize  that  the  man 
who  is  in  need  and  often  in  hunger,  and 
frequently  pressed  to  physical  agony  by  the 
narrow  circumstances  of  his  life,  is  the  one 
to  whom  his  hand  must  go  out  and  for 
whom  his  strength  must  be  expended. 

This  problem  of  capital  and  labor  is  a  Capital 
large  one,  and  it  cannot  be  settled  in  a  JSwr. 
moment  if  it  is  to  be  settled  rightly.  There 
are  grave  difficulties  both  economically  and 
sociologically  which  will  have  to  be  met  by 
the  growing  wisdom  which  God  will  give  if 
we  seek  it.  But  there  must  be  a  belief  on 
the  part  of  the  Christian  that  it  is  his  duty 
to  try  and  solve  the  problem;  that  he  dare 
not  be  indifferent ;  that  God  calls  him  to 
work  in  the  world  for  that  justice  which  He 
Himself  has  declared  will  be  the  final  out- 
come of  the  world's  history.  We  must  be 
careful  ourselves  never  to  do  those  things 
which  shall  hurt  others  who  are  for  the 
time  in  our  power.  Women,  for  instance, 
who  are  housekeepers,  have  no  right  to  over- 
burden their  servants  or  to  deny  them 
privileges  which  are  rightly  theirs.  Em-  Employers 
ployers  of  labor  have  no  right  to  call  their  rf-yjjjj 
employees  "  hands,"  as  if  they  were  simply 


98  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

machines,  or  to  neglect  that  relationship  to 
them  which  shall  carry  out  the  Lord's  truth 
that  we  are  all  brothers  whether  rich  or 
poor.  There  must  be  no  discrimination  in 
our  churches  and  none  in  our  thoughts  be- 
tween the  rich  and  the  poor;  and  there 
must  be  that  readiness  to  help,  out  of  a 
loving  heart  and  in  a  wise  way,  those  who 
need  help.  This  is  a  large  subject,  and 
we  cannot,  of  course,  enter  into  it  fully 
here,  but  we  have  said  enough  to  show  how 
much  there  is  for  the  Christian  to  do  if  he 
is  to  be  a  real  follower  of  his  Master. 
Political  The  third  problem  we  will  suggest  is  that 

of  political  life.  The  world  is  governed  in 
various  ways  in  various  sections,  but  that 
government  is  the  true  one  which  concerns 
itself  with  the  individual.  Whether  there 
be  a  king  who  holds  supremacy,  or  whether 
the  people  themselves,  as  in  our  own  dear 
'America,  hold  the  supremacy,  there  is  an 
equal  call  for  every  man,  just  because  he 
is  a  Christian,  to  take  a  strong,  active  part 
in  the  choice  of  rulers,  in  the  establishment 
of  laws,  and  in  the  reforms  which,  because 
of  human  imperfection,  are  ever  demanded. 
The  church  is  bound  to  proclaim  those 
great  principles  of  government  which  are 
founded    upon    the    ten    commandments. 


PUBLIC  LIFE.  09 

While  she  is  not  called  upon  to  go  into  any 
controversy  which  has  to  do  with  ques- 
tions having  no  moral  bearing,  she  is 
bound  to  warn  the  people  against  any 
wickedness  or  weakness  which  is  to  be 
found  or  which  may  threaten  in  the  life 
of  a  community. 

And  the  individual  Christian  is  not  ful-  On  voting, 
filling  the  law  of  his  life  unless,  if  he  is  of 
age,  he  votes  conscientiously,  and  votes  for 
the  best  man,  and  strives  after  those 
methods  of  government  which  in  his  heart 
of  hearts  he  knows  God  would  approve  of. 
Let  it  never  be  thought  that  the  common 
life,  the  life  of  the  city,  or  the  town,  or  the 
state,  or  the  country,  can  be  disregarded 
by  God's  children. 

In  closing  we  would  say  a  word  as  to  Three 
how  the  Christian  may  best  be  fitted  for 
this  tremendous  task  presented  in  his  pub- 
lic life.  We  can  but  mention  two  or  three 
needs  which  will  abundantly  be  supplied  if 
we  ask  God  to  help.  First,  there  must  be 
that  love  for  humanity  which  will  make  us* 
feel  that  the  cares  of  one  are  the  cares  of 
all,  and  that  to  go  through  life  at  ease  while 
others  suffer,  or  to  disregard  the  sufferings 
of  others,  is  to  deny  the  Master.  Oh,  if  we 
only  would  love  everybody  as  we  ought,  how 


needs. 


100  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

our    zeal    would    be    quickened    and    our 

intelligence     enlightened !        Second,     the 

Christian  man  must  be  filled  with  a  large 

Hope  sees    hope  which  shall  make  him  see  a  vision 

ideals. 

of  what  is  to  be,  and  strive  strenuously 
for  its  realization.  Hope  means  the 
catching  sight  of  the  ideal  and  bringing  it 
down  to  the  present  and  seeking  to  make 
it  a  model  for  service.  The  pessimist  can 
do  nothing  for  the  world's  good.  If  he 
thinks  it  is  a  question  whether  God  will 
finally  reign  supreme  he  has  already  denied 
his  Master  and  is  a  Judas.  The  man  who 
works  despairingly  because  it  is  his  duty 
and  not  because  he  longs  to  bring  speedily 
the  day  which  is  bound  to  come,  cannot  be 
of  much  value.  He  gets  in  the  way  of  other 
people  and  does  little  himself.  It  is  the 
man  of  magnificent  hope,  who  never  gives 
up  and  who  presses  on  to  the  mark,  who 
fulfils  his  Master's  command,  "  Endure 
unto  the  end."  And  third,  the  Christian 
must  find  a  joy  in  all  of  this  public  life  of 
which  I  have  spoken.  It  is  hard  sometimes 
to  be  cheerful;  it  is  trying  to  see  great 
evils  which  fairly  tear  the  soul,  and 
not  weep.  It  is  not  an  easy  thing,  when 
men  are  conservative  and  will  not  act,  to 
go  in  alone  and  with  an  audacity  which,  in 


PUBLIC  LIFE.  101 

the  eyes  of  others,  seems  to  contradict 
humility,  stand  for  the  right.  But  if  we 
remember  that  we  are  God's  children  and 
that  He  has  given  us  this  work  to  do,  then 
we  can  laugh  and  sing;  difficulties  cannot 
depress  us,  opposition  cannot  defeat  us, 
trouble  cannot  destroy  us.  We  will  simply 
go  forward  with  a  song  to  hasten  this  old 
world  on  its  way  towards  God,  to  bring  the 
King  to  His  Kingdom  and  the  Kingdom 
to  her  King. 

Dear  Lord,  Thou  knowest  my  weakness, 
and  yet  Thou  hast  called  me  to  do  great 
things.  Pour  Thine  own  divine  might  into 
Thy  servant  that  he  may  be  strong.  Fill 
him  with  the  knowledge  of  his  blessed  call- 
ing; open  his  eyes  that  he  may  see,  touch 
his  heart  that  he  may  feel,  and  strengthen 
his  hands  that  he  may  fight.  Above  all, 
dear  Lord,  give  me  that  gentleness  and 
that  sweetness  of  spirit  which  are  of  Thy- 
self, that  I  may  always  work  without  bit- 
terness and  strive  for  the  highest  and  best 
without  discouragement.  For  Thine  own 
dear  sake.     Amen. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE  LIFE  OF  FELLOWSHIP. 

Theee  is  hardly  any  more  beautiful  ex- 
pression in  our  creed  than  this:  I  believe 
in  "  the  communion  of  saints."  It  does  not 
mean,  as  some  have  thought,  that  we  have 
some  mystical  relationship  to  those  who 
have  gone  before.  That  may  be  a  part  of 
its  meaning,  but  it  is  only  a  part.  It  means 
the  splendid  brotherhood  which  brings 
church.  Christians  together,  makes  them  enter  into 
each  other's  lives,  helps  them  to  understand 
each  other,  and  creates  that  love  which  led 
the  Master  to  come  to  earth  to  live  and  die. 
God  "  hath  made  of  one  blood  all  nations 
of  men  for  to  dwell  on  all  the  face  of  the 
earth,"  cried  the  Apostle,  and  those  great 
words  should  be  the  banner  cry  which  shall 
not  only  bring  us  wonderfully  near  together 
as  fellow  Christians,  but  make  us  recognize 
the  Christ  of  men  all  over  the  world  as  the 
Christ  of  our  brothers. 
102 


THE  LIFE  OF  FELLOWSHIP.  103 

There  was  a  time  when  the  church  as  Not  ex- 
well  as  the  Christian  man  was  thought  to  c  usive' 
he  exclusive  rather  than  inclusive ;  a  little 
body  of  people  selected  out  of  the  world 
because  of  their  adherence  to  truth,  shut- 
ting the  world  out  of  their  sympathies,  and 
having  little  or  no  care  for  it.  Such  was 
the  old  idea  of  the  spirit  of  Christianity. 
We  have  gotten  beyond  that,  and  yet  we 
have  not  sufficiently  realized  the  meaning 
of  brotherhood.  Let  us  think  of  it  now  for 
a  little  while. 

My  brother's  life  should  be  as  important  My 
to  me  as  my  own,  yes?  even  more  important.  krother' 
I  do  not  live  for  myself  but  for  others. 
The  selfish  man  is  a  disgrace  wherever  he 
is  found,  but  the  Christian  man  who  is 
selfish  is  a  special  disgrace.  The  blessed 
knowledge  that  we  are  all  fighting  the  same 
battle,  that  we  are  all  facing  the  same  end, 
that  we  all  have  common  experiences,  com- 
mon joys  and  common  sorrows;  the  con- 
sciousness that  we  all  have  in  our  bodies  the 
same  nerves  and  muscles,  the  same  passions 
and  emotions ;  that  we  all  have  in  our  minds 
the  same  thoughts  and  the  same  powers; 
that  we  all  have  in  our  souls  like  aspira- 
tions and  like  visions — this  truly  ought  to 
make  us  very  dear  to  each  other  and  bring 


104 


THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 


All  are 
brethren. 


Spirit  of 
oneness. 


us  very  near  together.  We  must  first  of  all 
realize  this  before  we  can  do  very  much. 

Now  this  fellowship  brings  us  to  some 
exceedingly  practical  workings.  First  of 
all  it  makes  us  know  that  there  can  be  no 
real  separations  between  men  on  earth. 
Whatever  separations  there  may  seem  to 
be  are  of  man's  creation  rather  than  God's. 
The  color  of  skin,  the  language  spoken,  the 
possession  of  wealth  and  of  intellect,  or  the 
lack  of  such  possession,  the  disposition  or 
environment,  the  advantage  which  hered- 
ity or  a  few  hundred  years  of  imagined 
superiority  may  have  brought,  all  these 
things' have  no  right  to  separate  us.  It  is 
a  cheap  thing  for  a  big  man,  who  knows  he 
is  God's  son,  to  look  upon  any  of  them  as 
having  any  value  whatsoever  in  the  con- 
sideration of  his  duty  and  privilege  in  con- 
nection with  his  brothers.  Therefore  the 
Christian  must  not  dare  for  one  instant 
to  give  way  either  in  thought  or  by  action 
to  the  false  standards  so  common  amongst 
men  which  tend  to  divide  rather  than  to 
unite.  His  very  pride  ought  to  keep  him 
from  permitting  these  things  to  dull  his 
sympathies  or  cloud  his  heart. 

Again,  there  comes  that  magnificent 
spirit  of  service  of  which  we  have  already 


THE  LIFE  OF  FELLOWSHIP.  105 

spoken,  which  makes  a  man  happy  only  as 
he  is  himself  making  some  one  else  happy. 
A  pleasure  possessed  alone  loses  a  large 
part  of  its  richness.  The  things  which  we 
share  are  the  things  which  we  appreciate. 
How  splendid  it  is  when  we  look  upon  all 
we  have  as  God-given  in  order  that  we  may 
call  others  in  to  the  feast!  How  fine  to 
realize  that  all  of  our  powers  of  mind 
and  body  find  their  interpretation  in  the 
way  in  which  we  use  them  for  others'  good  ! 
This  is  the  lesson  which  comes  to  us  every 
day  in  the  smaller  as  well  as  the  greater 
experiences.  It  cannot  be  too  emphatically 
impressed  upon  us  that  others  need  us  and  Others 
that  we  need  others,  and  that  no  life 
reaches  its  fulness  in  isolation.  I  think  it 
is  Aristotle  who  says  that  the  man  who 
delights  in  solitude  must  be  either  a  wild 
beast  or  a  god ;  a  wild  beast  because  hav- 
ing others  in  his  power,  or  a  god  because 
feeling  himself  to  be  superior.  There 
must  be  moments,  of  course,  when  a  man 
should  go  away  by  himself  and  commune 
with  himself,  or  with  nature,  or  with  na- 
ture's God.  There  must  be  moments  of 
quiet  when  in  the  secret  of  God's  presence 
we  shall  be  able  to  find  ourselves,  and  to 
hear  that  still   small   Voice  speaking  in 


need  us. 


106  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

comfort  and  cheer;  but  the  regular  and 
normal  life  must  be  amongst  men,  and  it 
finds  its  force  not  in  the  delight  of  see- 
ing other  men  act  nor  in  the  pleasure  of 
hearing  other  men  express  their  thoughts, 
but  in  doing  for  others  that  which  we  see 
they  may  need  to  have  done  for  them.  It 
is  a  poor  thing  to  wander,  as  Thomas  Moore 
says,  "  alone  in  crowds ;  "  it  is  a  great 
thing  to  love  the  multitude, 
in  other's  Again  the  Christian  man  wants  to  have 
that  understanding  of  others  which  can 
only  come  through  putting  himself  in  the 
place  of  others.  I  can  only  be  of  value  to 
my  friend  when  I  try  to  know  how  my 
friend  feels,  and  how  he  is  situated,  and 
what  battles  he  has  to  fight.  We  often 
hear  people  cry  in  misery ;  "  ~No  one  un- 
derstands ;  "  and  it  is  a  cry  not  so  much  of 
bitterness  as  of  arraignment.  If  other 
people  do  not  understand  us  it  may  perhaps 
in  some  particular  be  our  own  fault,  but 
it  is  largely  the  fault  of  the  other  people. 
It  is  their  business  to  understand  us,  even 
as  it  is  our  business  to  understand  them. 
And,  oh,  the  joy  which,  comes  to  the  man 
who  lives  in  the  lives  of  others,  who  feels 
others'  woes,  and  understands  the  depth  of 
sorrow  which  crushes  another's  heart,  and 


THE  LIFE  OF  FELLOWSHIP.  iq7 

who  grasps  the  longings  which  cannot  be 
spoken,  even  as  the  Spirit  of  God  grasps 
our  longings  and  makes  groanings  for  us 
which  we  cannot  utter.  While  it  draws  the 
vitality  out  of  one's  life,  even  as  it  drew 
virtue  out  of  our  Lord  when  He  was  upon 
earth,  this  blessed  understanding  of  others 
brings  to  us  in  return  a  peace  and  a  loving 
appreciation  which  are  the  dearest  gifts 
of  life. 

Fellowship  is  shown  again  in  the  en-  Bearing 
during  of  the  burdens  of  others.  Another's  j"  s  ar" 
sorrow  is  my  sorrow,  not  merely  because  I  burdens, 
think  of  it  but  because  I  take  it  as  my  own. 
In  Hawthorne's  Marble  Faun  the  way  in 
which  Hilda  bore  her  sister's  fault  as  if  it 
were  her  own  is  a  fine  illustration  of  the 
way  in  which  a  Christian  is  always  bound 
to  feel  that  which  affects  others,  and  to 
make  the  sorrow  his  own,  even  as  the 
Master  did  Who  "  carried  our  sorrows." 
There  is  hardly  anything  which  brings 
humans  nearer  together  than  this  fellow- 
ship of  common  endurance.  To  take  the 
burden  from  my  brother's  shoulders  may 
not  absolutely  relieve  him,  but  it  makes 
him  strong  to  bear  because  I,  too,  am  bear- 
ing by  his  side.  To  weep  with  those  who 
weep,  and  to  laugh  with  those  who  laugh,  is 


108  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

like  entering  into  the  richness  of  nature 
when  we  feel  from  ocean  or  mountain  our 
own  feelings  echoed,  and  know  that  God's 
dear  world  is  itself  full  of  that  spirit 
which  bears  human  burdens. 
Desire  to  Finally,  true  fellowship  must  always  im- 

ply the  desire  to  help.  We  do  not  benefit 
men  very  much  if  we  go  down  to  their 
depths  and  lie  there  with  them  side  by  side 
in  misery.  We  cannot  stand  on  a  pedestal 
and  reach  down  cold  fingers,  or  exhort, 
from  some  lofty  situation  of  superiority, 
others  to  come  up  to  us  who  know  not  the 
way.  But  going  to  the  other's  side  we  want 
to  bring  that  power  of  our  own  nature  so  to 
bear  upon  him  that  he  may  be  lifted  up  and 
made  to  rise  by  the  very  strength  of  our 
brotherly  feeling.  The  parable  of  the  good 
Samaritan,  when  rightly  understood,  grand- 
ly emphasizes  this.  The  Samaritan  bound 
up  the  wounds;  he  gave  of  that  which  he 
carried  with  him  to  assuage  and  to  heal; 
he  walked,  that  the  sick  man  might  ride ;  he 
brought  him  to  the  place  where  he  would 
be  cared  for,  and  provided  for  his  enter- 
tainment. It  is  this  effort  to  lift  men  up, 
at  first  conscious  but  afterwards  becoming 
unconscious,  which  makes  the  richest,  the 
most  beautiful  part  of  Christian   fellow- 


THE  LIFE  OF  FELLOWSHIP.  109 

ship.  I  love  to  breathe  in  my  brother's  Know  he 
presence.  I  love  to  hear  his  words,  for  they 
are  sweet.  I  love  to  know  that  he  cares  for 
me.  It  is  a  comfort  beyond  expression  that 
his  heart  beats  in  sympathy  with  mine  and 
that  his  touch  of  hand  is  almost  holy.  But 
the  richest  thing  as  I  sit  by  his  side  is  the 
thought  that  he  needs  me,  poor  and  un- 
worthy though  I  am ;  he,  though  seemingly 
my  superior,  has  need  of  me,  otherwise  he 
could  not  love  me ;  for  while  love  is  the  de- 
sire to  give  and  the  desire  to  bless,  it  is 
also  the  instinctive  knowledge  that  the  one 
loved  has  something  which  can  satisfy  my 
soul's  hunger.  That  I  may  help  the  one 
whose  presence  inspires  me;  that  I  may 
somehow,  dumbly  perhaps,  or  by  word,  or 
by  act,  make  his  life  happier,  that  is  it 
which  gives  the  cap-stone  to  fellowship  and  Fulness  of 
makes  life  beautiful  in  spite  of  its  many  gt\pW" 
difficulties.  And  when  the  Christian  en- 
ters into  this  fulness  of  fellowship  he  finds 
that  which  he  never  dreamed  of  before — a 
i  bond  which  is  something  more  than  human, 
a  love  which  is  something  more  than  emo- 
tion. It  is  the  power  which  comes  from 
God,  Who  in  creating  man  breathed"  into 
his  nostrils  His  own  divine  breath,  and 
placed  within  his  soul  that  glorious  nature 


HO  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

which  can,  by  the  grace  of  God,  at  last 
attain  unto  perfection. 

I  beseech  of  Thee,  dear  Lord,  to  give  me 
this  spirit  of  fellowship  which  shall  make 
my  Christian  life  one  with  the  lives  of 
others.  Hold  me  from  selfishness;  keep 
me  from  an  unhealthy  desire  for  isolation ; 
make  me  feel  at  home  amongst  men,  not 
that  I  may  be  hidden  in  the  multitude  but 
that  I  may  stretch  out  my  hand  to  bless  and 
give  out  my  voice  to  speak  where  there  is 
need.  Above  all,  dear  Lord,  in  order  that 
I  may  be  bound  closely  to  men,  do  Thou 
bind  me  closer  unto  Thyself,  that  from 
Thine  own  blessed  nature  there  may  flow 
into  my  soul  that  divine  power  which  I  can 
use  amongst  men  and  so  bring  them  nearer 
to  Thee  in  bringing  them  nearer  to  myself. 
I  ask  this,  O  divine  Brother,  in  Thine  own 
name.    Amen. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

CHUECH  LIFE. 

We  have  already  said  that  the  Christian  What 
is  to  be  a  brother  to  all  men,  but  we  must 
not  forget  that  God  has  established  a  fam- 
ily in  Christ  which  is,  as  it  were,  a  circle 
within  a  circle.  Those  who  believe  in  and 
accept  Christ,  those  who  are  called  and 
hear  the  call,  those  who  obey  the  Master's 
precepts,  are  all  gathered  into  what  the 
Master  called  His  family,  and  what  was 
soon  called  the  church.  The  church  is  not 
a  body  of  good  people,  but  a  body  of  people 
who  are  trying  to  be  good.  The  church  is 
not  an  ecclesiastical  association  of  those 
who  establish  a  certain  code  and  are  gov- 
erned by  certain  rules,  but  it  is  the  blessed 
company  of  all  those  faithful  people  who, 
loving  Christ  and  trying  to  do  His  will  in 
the  world,  enter  into  a  relationship  which 
the  Master  Himself  has  established. 

It  is  well  to  remember,  that  which  so 
many  people  forget,  particularly  those  who 
111 


112  TBE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

Not  body     themselves   are  unmindful   of  their  duty, 
of  saints.  .  !_■•*• 

that  the  church  is  not  a   body  ot  saints. 

There  always  have  been  and  always  will 
be  some  black  sheep  in  the  fold,  even  as 
there  was  a  traitor  in  our  Lord's  little  body 
of  twelve;  and  those  who  belong  to  the 
church  are  weak,  and  feel  the  need  of  the 
strength  which  God  gives,  and  do  not  set 
themselves  up  as  examples,  but  are  rather 
as  arrows  pointing  towards  the  Leader  and 
King  of  all.  That  was  a  fine  testimony 
which  the  people  gave  concerning  John  the 
Baptist :  "  John  did  no  miracle,"  they 
said,  "  but  all  things  that  John  spake  of 
this  man  were  true."  The  church  thus  be- 
comes a  body  of  witnesses.  The  church 
members  are  loyal  to  their  Lord.  They 
fall,  but  they  rise  again  through  His 
mercy  and  grace.  They  are  ignorant,  but 
they  learn  through  the  wisdom  which  He 
imparts.  And  so  little  by  little  through 
the  centuries,  in  spite  of  its  many  failures, 
in  spite  of  divisions,  in  spite  of  bitter  con- 
troversies, in  spite  even  of  wars  brought 
about  through  imagined  loyalty  or  a  kind 
of  frenzied  enthusiasm,  the  church  of  God 
stands  to-day  as  the  manifested  power  in 
the  world  pointing  towards  God  and  work- 
ing for  righteousness. 


CHURCH  LIFE.  113 

"Now  the  Christian  man  is  a  member  of  What  to 
the  church.  What  is  there  for  him  to  do 
in  the  life  of  the  church?  His  own 
particular  church  or  parish  is  a  part  of  the 
whole  and  represents  for  him  to  a  certain 
extent  the  whole.  There  is  where  he  lives 
his  life.  There  is  where  he  worships. 
There  is  where  he  hears  the  word  of  God, 
and  receives  the  message  of  God,  and  there 
God  for  a  shorter  or  longer  time  has 
placed  him  in  order  that  he  may  be  use- 
ful in  the  divine  service.  What  has  the 
Christian  to  do  here? 

First  of  all  he  must  realize  that  the  Guides  and 
church  is  not  a  little  ecclesiastical  body,  but 
that  it  is  a  body  of  guides,  who  having  seen 
the  light,  shed  that  light  upon  the  way  of 
others  and  ask  them  to  follow  it.  The 
Christian  must  know  that  he  is  a  member 
of  the  church  in  order  that  he  may  bring 
others  in  to  the  joy  and  fellowship  which 
he  has  found.  Even  as  the  church  at  large 
is  a  light,  so  the  individual  parish  or 
church  is  a  light,  or  should  be,  to  brighten 
the  way  of  those  living  near,  and  to  hold 
up  a  high  standard  for  men  to  follow.  No 
Christian  has  any  right  to  feel  himself 
independent  of  the  church  to  which  he  be- 
longs.    He  may  not  be  a  slave,  dropping 


workers. 


114  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

his  own  individuality,  nor  is  lie  to  con- 
sider himself  as  simply  the  mouthpiece  of 
a  body  of  people  to  which  he  belongs ;  but 
he  is  to  know  that  he  is  of  the  church  in 
order  that  he  may  bring  the  church's  bless- 
ing and  God's  to  those  who  need  it.  Loy- 
alty, then,  is  necessary. 
Unhappy  ^ye  must  pause  here  for  a  moment  to 

divi-  x  ... 

sions.  say  a  word  about  the  unfortunate  divisions 
of  the  church  of  God.  Without  going  into 
the  history  of  the  past,  we  find  Christianity 
to-day  unfortunately  divided,  and  while  the 
great  foundation  principles  of  the  truth  of 
Christ  are  accepted  by  all,  there  are  dif- 
ferences of  administration  so  marked  that 
there  is  not  between  the  divisions  the  fel- 
lowship for  which  we  long  and  for  which 
Christ  prayed.  It  is  a  condition  which 
cannot  at  once  be  remedied.  We  must 
pray,  and  we  must  do  all  we  can  to  draw 
near  to  each  other  in  active  service  and  in 
common  worship,  but  we  must  be  loyal  to 
our  own  church ;  and  loyalty  does  not  mean 
narrowness — a  narrowness  which  would 
blind  us  to  the  good  in  others  or  make  us 
critical  of  them, — but  it  means  a  spirit 
which  should  make  us  thank  God  for  the 
privileges  which  are  ours,  and  lead  us  to 
do  all  we  can  where  God  has  placed  us  to 


CHURCH  LIFE.  115 

bring  the  world  to  the  knowledge  of  Jesus  Clmrfk 
Christ.  The  subject  of  church  unity  is  a 
great  subject,  and  I  believe  we  are  coming 
nearer,  though  unconsciously  perhaps,  to  a 
solution.  But  the  individual  Christian  can 
best  serve  to  hasten  the  coming  of  an  an- 
swer to  his  Master's  prayer  that  they  all 
"  may  be  one,"  by  doing  all  that  he  can  in 
his  own  denomination  to  work  and  to  pray 
and  to  serve,  meanwhile  holding  himself  as. 
one  with  all  those  who  confess  and  call 
themselves  Christians. 

The  Christian  man,  then,  in  his  church  Members 

8,re 

must  first  of  all  be  a  worker ;  he  has  some-  workers, 
thing  to  do  in  that  church.  Coming  to 
worship  once  or  twice  on  Sunday  and  feel- 
ing that  he  has  so  fulfilled  his  obligation  is 
to  show  an  ignorance  of  the  meaning  of 
church  membership  as  unfortunate  as  it  is, 
alas,  too  common.  If  the  church  is  meant 
to  serve  as  a  leaven  in  the  community  then 
there  must  be  that  mixing  of  the  meal  with 
the  leaven,  or  rather  of  the  leaven  with  the 
meal,  which  shall  make  the  church  a  power 
for  good.  This  is  done  by  various  church 
organizations ;  it  is  done  by  the  charitable 
work  which  the  church  carries  on;  it  is 
done  by  its  missionary  activity;  it  is  ac- 
complished by  its  efforts  to  bring  in  those 


lie  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

Takes  part  wh0  are  estranged  or  astray.  If  the  Chris- 
tian is  alive  to  his  privilege  he  will  take 
part  in  every  one  of  these  activities.  The 
Sunday-school,  the  Bible  class,  parish  or- 
ganizations, the  classes  for  arousing  mis- 
sionary interest,  the  efforts  to  bring  in  out- 
siders— all  these  things  will  be  so  intensely 
real  to  him  that  he  can  no  more  think  of 
neglecting  them  than  he  would  think  in 
business  of  neglecting  his  mail  or  of  pass- 
ing by  an  opportunity  to  advance  his  trade. 
It  is  a  crying  shame  that  there  are  so  many 
Christians  to-day  who  are  doing  absolutely 
nothing  in  their  churches.  They  worship 
once  a  week,  and  then  the  church  is  no 
more  to  them  (unless  it  be  as  a  subject  of 
criticism)  than  the  man  in  the  moon! 
As  a  result  they  not  only  grow  weak  in 
their  spiritual  life  but  they  lose  a  magnifi- 
cent opportunity. 

A  place  for  Again,  the  Christian  must  feel,  regard- 
tion.  ing  his  church,  that  it  is  a  place  for  edu- 
cation in  all  those  things  which  relate  to 
Christ  and  His  truth.  It  is  not  a  meeting 
place  only,  that  is,  in  the  sense  of  meeting 
others  or  even  of  meeting  God;  it  is  not 
a  formal  assembly  where  people,  without 
regard  to  each  other  or  knowledge  of  each 
other,  bow  down  before  the  Almighty;  it 


CHURCH  LIFE.  117 

is  not  a  place  merely  for  spiritual  delight; 
that  is,  we  do  not  go  to  church  only  in 
order  that  we  may  be  calmed  or  quieted  and 
find  repose  for  our  souls.  All  of  those 
things  are  good  and  right,  but  the  church 
must  mean  something  more  to  the  Chris- 
tain  man.  If  Christ  is  in  His  church  as 
He  has  promised,  and  if  He  has  given  to 
His  family  on  earth  certain  gifts  such  as 
the  Bible  and  Common  Prayer,  and  Bap- 
tism, and  the  Lord's  Supper,  then  there 
must  be  a  spirit  of  education  by  which  the 
man  through  the  church  is  taught  more  and 
more  of  his  Master's  truth.  Let  it  not  be 
thought  for  an  instant  that  we  would  imply 
that  the  individual  Christian  is  not  taught 
directly  by  God.  The  Holy  Spirit  leads  us 
into  all  truth  in  our  own  lives.  But,  on  the  Taught  of 
other  hand,  it  must  be  remembered  that  the 
church  is  intended  to  teach  the  Christian 
through  her  services,  through  her  united 
prayers,  through  her  reading  of  God's 
word,  and  through  the  teaching  of  those 
who  have  been  prepared  for  this  blessed 
task.  She  teaches  him  regarding  his  duty 
and  how  he  should  perform  it.  She  teaches 
him  regarding  his  Christ,  what  He  has 
done  and  what  He  is  doing.  She  teaches 
him  the  fellowship  of  which  we  have  al- 


118  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

ready  spoken.  She  brings  him  face  to  face 
with  opportunity.  She  makes  him  see  a 
vision.  She  calls  him  to  enthusiastic 
struggle.  She  opens  his  ears  that  he  may 
hear  the  cry  of  those  who  know  not  God. 
It  is  a  splendid  thing  to  realize  that  the 
church  is  a  teaching  power  under  the  guid- 
ance of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  that  that 
teaching  power  is  not  confined  to  Sunday 
worship  but  is  carried  on  all  through  the 
week  in  various  ways,  not  by  the  ministers 
alone  or  chiefly,  but  by  the  people  working 
under  the  guidance  of  the  ministers. 
To  seek  Yet  again,  the  Christian  owes  it  to  his 

and  save. 

church  not  only  that  he  should  be  loyal  and 
that  he  should  receive  the  teaching  offered, 
but  that  he  should  forward  its  every  en- 
deavor to  do  what  God  declares  should  be 
done.  In  other  words,  he  is  not  only  a 
worker  in  a  general  sense,  but  he  is  a 
soldier  with  his  eye  alert  and  his  hand 
ready,  marching  onward  against  the  enemy 
or  to  rescue  those  who  are  besieged.  The 
idea  of  a  church  member  standing  with 
a  gun  to  defend  is  rather  poor;  the 
idea  of  a  church  member  going  out  with  his 
staff  to  draw  in  under  his  leadership  the 
multitudes  who  are  as  sheep  without  a 
shepherd  is  inspiring.    Now  the  Christian 


CHURCH  LIFE.  119 

may  be  very  faithful  in  his  church  duties,  A,sh®p" 
and  very  loyal,  and  very  teachable,  and  yet 
if  he  does  not,  like  his  Master,  seek  and 
save  the  lost  and  bring  them  to  this  body 
of  faithful  people  who  shall  nourish  and 
comfort  and  declare  the  brotherhood  of 
man,  he  misses  a  great  part  of  his  vocation. 
Every  Christian  man  should  be  a  feeder 
of  the  church.  It  is  not  the  minister's 
business  alone  to  guide  wandering  youth, 
or  to  inspire  those  who  are  discouraged, 
or  to  visit  those  who  are  sick,  but  it  is 
the  part  of  every  church  member  under 
the  minister's  leadership  to  do  these  things. 
The  wonderful  field  thus  opened  is  full 
of  sunshine  and  clothed  with  flowers  for 
the  man  who  enters  in.  The  strong 
influence  which  the  church  has  through  its 
representatives,  the  gratitude  felt  and  ex- 
pressed not  only  to  the  individual  but  to 
the  church  of  which  he  is  a  member  by 
the  sick  and  afflicted,  the  prisoner  and  the 
dying,  must  always  stand  as  one  of  the 
richest  and  finest  rewards  of  the  Christian 
life. 

Finally  the  Christian  in  his  church  life  Firm  for 

.  .  truth. 

is  bound  to   stand   firmly   and   positively 

upon  the  great  principles  of  his  faith,  while 

at  the  same  time  he  seeks  to  make  that 


120  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

faith  so  simple  that  a  child  may  read  and 
understand.  I  think  sometimes  the  church 
member  holding  loyally  to  the  truth,  makes 
that  truth  confusing  rather  than  clearly 
helpful  to  others.  There  ought  to  be  a 
spirit  of  interpretation  which  should  make 
the  faith  of  God  held  by  His  children  easy 
for  the  poorest  and  the  most  ignorant  or  the 
most  prejudiced  to  accept,  and  it  is  the 
part  of  the  Christian  to  do  this  thing.  He 
is  not  to  weaken  the  faith  by  paring  away 
any  of  its  essentials;  he  is  not  to  meet 
doubt  by  calling  unimportant  the  thing 
doubted ;  but  he  is  to  be  so  full  of  the  spirit 
of  the  truth  himself  that  he  will  be  able  to 
make  it  attractive  and  dear  to  those  with 
whom  he  comes  in  contact.  This  is  the 
spirit  of  the  Sunday-school  teacher.  She 
loves  God  so  much  that  she  knows  how  to 
make  her  children  love  Him;  she  accepts 
His  word  so  thoroughly  that  she  knows  how 
to  lead  others  to  accept  it.  It  is  the  privi- 
lege of  every  member  of  the  church  in  like 
Interprets  fashion  to  interpret  the  word  of  God  to 
God.  men.  The  business  man  in  his  business, 
the  housekeeper  in  her  home,  the  traveller 
on  his  way,  the  man  or  woman  at  the  sum- 
mer home  or  in  vacation  time,  should  all 
have  such  a  quickness  to  make  real  and 


CHURCH  LIFE.  121 

vivid  the  great  truth  they  love  that  others 
will  find  no  difficulty  in  at  least  under- 
standing it  and  perchance  in  giving  their 
adherence  to  it.  Ah,  what  a  blessed  privi- 
lege it  is  when  a  man,  as  a  church  member, 
so  loves  the  things  which  God  has  given  to 
His  family  that  he  seeks  to  bring  them  to 
others  and  display  them  in  such  a  fashion 
as  to  arouse  their  admiration,  perchance 
their  envy,  and  at  last  their  acceptance! 
The  man  who  loves  his  church  can  do  this, 
and  will  do  it.  The  Christian  who  is 
loyal  to  the  family  of  which  he  has  been 
made  a  member  will  count  it  a  high  privi- 
lege thus  to  bring  men  nearer  to  God. 

Dear  Lord,  Who  hast  brought  Thy  peo- 
ple together  and  called  Thine  unworthy 
children  members  of  Thine  own  family, 
and  hast  been  pleased  to  bid  us  look  up 
unto  Thee  as  our  loving  Head,  teach  me,  I 
beseech  of  Thee,  the  privilege  of  church, 
membership,  and  show  me  how  I  may  do 
Thy  will  where  Thou  hast  placed  me.  Let 
me  never  forget  why  Thou  hast  established 
Thy  church  and  the  work  which  Thou 
hast  given  her  to  do.  Let  me  never  forget 
that  I  am  a  part  of  the  church  and  that  I 
must  fulfil  my  responsibilities  if  I  would 


122  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

prove  my  love  to  Thee.  Help  me  in  all 
things  to  be  faithful ;  and  at  last  bring  Thy 
church  to  that  glorious  transfiguration 
when,  fair  as  the  sun,  clear  as  the  moon, 
and  terrible  as  an  army  with  banners,  in 
one  united  phalanx  she  shall  march  on  to- 
wards the  gates  of  righteousness  and  re- 
ceive from  her  King  the  banner  of  victory. 
[Amen. 


CHAPTEK  X. 

THE   MEAN'S   OF   GEACE. 

We  have  been  considering  in  our  pre- 
vious chapters  the  relationship  which  man 
is  to  bear  to  Christ  in  the  way  of  moral 
living,  in  the  way  of  service,  in  the  way  of 
public  duty,  in  the  way  of  brotherhood, 
and  in  church  life.  The  natural  question 
must  come  to  the  mind  of  an  earnest  man, 
as  he  considers  all  these  demands,  as  it 
came  to  the  mind  of  St.  Paul :  "  Who  is 
sufficient  for  these  things  ?  "  And  indeed 
it  would  be  impossible  for  any  man  to  ful- 
fil in  any  degree  these  obligations  were  it 
not  that  God  has  graciously  provided  helps 
whereby  we  can  be  made  strong  and  fitted 
for  the  work  we  have  to  do  and  the  life  we 
have  to  live.  "  Our  sufficiency  is  of  God  " 
says  the  great  Apostle ;  and  when  one  real- 
izes that  his  Father  stands  behind  him 
ready  to  give  him  grace  to  do  and  to  be  all 
that  he  ought  to  do  and  be,  then  he  can  go 
forward  without  hesitation.  We  will  con- 
123 


124:  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

sider  in  the  next  few  chapters,  therefore, 
the  way  in  which  God  helps  a  man  to  be  a 
true  Christian  and  to  hold  himself  in  the 
loyal  relationship  to  Christ  which  is  de- 
manded. 
How  It  is  well  for  ns  to  remember  that  God 

deals  with  us  in  our  spiritual  life  very 
largely  as  He  deals  with  us  in  our  physical 
and  mental  life,  and  that  there  is  no  more 
mystery  in  the  laws  which  have  to  do  with 
the  life  of  service  towards  God  than  there 
is  in  the  laws  which  have  to  do  with  the 
strength  of  the  body  or  the  intelligence  of 
the  mind.  I  cannot  be  strong  in  body  un- 
less I  eat  and  drink  and  sleep  and  take 
exercise.  I  cannot  understand  how  doing 
these  things  can  help  me ;  I  only  know  that 
they  do  help.  So  I  cannot  be  strong  in  my 
mind  unless  I  think  and  read  and  study, 
and  reason  with  men  who  are  wiser  than 
myself.  I  cannot  tell  how  these  exercises 
benefit  me ;  I  only  know  that  they  do  benefit 
me.  Even  so  is  it  with  the  spiritual  life. 
If  I  want  to  hold  myself  in  that  true  re- 
lationship to  Christ  which  is  the  part  of  a 
Christian  man  and  which  alone  can  lead 
to  happiness,  I  must  read  my  Bible,  and 
pray,  and  go  to  church,  and  do  all  those 
things  which   God  has   provided   for  my 


THE  MEANS  OF  GRACE.  125 

spiritual  sustenance.  I  cannot  tell  how 
these  things  help  me;  I  only  know  that 
they  do  help  me,  through  experience. 

It  is  a  little  curious  that  there  are  many  law  of  the 
people  who  accept  without  any  question-  spm  ' 
ing  the  laws  governing  body  and  mind,  and 
yet  reject,  or  count  as  of  no  importance, 
the  laws  governing  the  moral  and  spiritual 
nature.  They  are  certainly  inconsistent, 
for  they  recognize  in  themselves  certain 
moral  functions  which  are  guided  by  what 
are  commonly  called  the  precepts  or  the 
habits  of  men.  For  instance,  a  man  who 
wished  to  be  considered  a  gentleman  would 
not  think  of  acting  discourteously  in  the 
presence  of  ladies;  a  man  who  wished  to 
develop  high  and  pure  ideals  would  not 
think  of  such  a  thing  as  placing  himself 
continually  in  an  atmosphere  of  degrada- 
tion and  wretchedness  and  evil;  he  knows 
perfectly  well  that  his  moral  nature  is  af- 
fected by  the  atmosphere  in  which  he  lives 
and  by  the  actions  which  he  may  or  may 
not  do.  Must  it  not  be  equally  true  that 
the  spiritual  nature,  that  is,  the  nature 
which  loves  God  and  communes  with  Him 
and  seeks  to  grow  more  like  Him  and 
longs  to  do  His  will,  must  obey  the  laws 
governing  the  spiritual  nature — laws  which 


126  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

have  been  distinctly  given  by  God  Himself 
and  whicb  have  been  proved  to  be  effective 
in  the  lives  of  millions  of  God's  children  ? 
We  must  remember  that  even  our  Lord 
Himself  when  He  was  upon  earth,  be- 
cause He  was  both  human  and  divine,  used 
these  means  of  grace  and  so  set  us  an 
example.  If  the  Son  of  God  humbled 
Himself  to  use  the  very  graces  which  He 
brought  to  earth  for  the  good  of  men,  must 
we  not  believe  that  we  who  are  only  hu- 
man cannot  get  along  without  the  use  of 
the  same  graces  ?  We  know  that  our  Lord 
prayed.  We  know  that  He  was  familiar 
with  the  Old  Testament,  particularly  the 
Psalms.  We  know  that  He  worshipped  in 
the  Temple,  and  we  have  every  reason 
to  believe  that  His  home  in  Nazareth  was 
one  of  faith  and  of  purity  and  of  love. 
"  Jesus  increased  in  wisdom  and  stature, 
and  in  favor  with  God  and  man,"  St.  Luke 
tells  us,  and  this  growth  in  divine  and 
human  favor  must  have  been  nourished, 
just  as  His  growth  in  wisdom  and  stature 
were  nourished,  by  those  things  which  were 
provided  as  spiritual  food.  We  cannot,  as 
servants,  hope  to  be  above  the  Master. 

Efficiency         j^  js  a  WOnderful  thing,  too,  to  realize 
of  grace.  . 

now  the  use  of  these  means  of  grace  proves 


THE  MEANS  OF  GRACE.  127 

their  efficiency.  Every  true  Christian  man 
can  give  evidence  of  the  way  in  which  he 
has  found  new  courage  and  new  inspira- 
tion from  reading  God's  Word.  Every 
loyal  servant  of  Christ  can  tell  how  by 
prayer  he  has  been  comforted  and  exalted 
and  granted  power  to  do  and  to  endure. 
After  all,  the  way  to  test  the  efficacy  of  the 
means  of  grace  is  to  use  them,  and  it  is 
an  assured  fact  based  upon  God's  promise 
and  verified  by  human  experience,  that  no 
man  can  sincerely  and  honestly  follow 
God's  laws  of  spiritual  development  with- 
out finding  himself  increasing,  as  did  our 
Lord,  in  favor  with  God  and  man. 

It  would  hardly  seem  necessary  to  warn  In  spirit 
against  the  merely  mechanical  use  of  these  truth, 
means  of  grace  were  it  not  that  there  have 
been  ages  in  the  church's  history  when  it 
was  thought  sufficient  to  go  through  the 
form  regardless  of  the  spirit.  To  say  so 
many  prayers,  to  read  so  much  of  the  Bible, 
to  go  to  church  so  often,  and  yet  to  have 
no  love  in  the  heart  and  no  desire  for  bet- 
ter things,  must  of  course  be  useless;  and 
yet  there  are  many  people,  even  to-day, 
who  think  that  the  outward  observance  of 
these  laws  is  all  that  is  necessary,  and  they 
find  their  mistake  too  late,  and  the  mistake 


128  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

affects  not  only  themselves  but  others. 
They  that  worship  God  must  worship  Him 
in  spirit  and  in  truth.  Therefore,  in 
using  these  means  of  grace  we  must  bring 
the  desires  and  longings  of  our  hearts,  the 
simple  love  for  Him  in  Whose  fellowship 
we  desire  to  live,  and  the  constant  devo- 
tion which  will  make  the  holy  things  of  life 
dear  to  us. 
Spasmodic  It  is  necessary  to  say  a  word  here  about 
tianity.  the  regularity  with  which  we  use  these 
blessings  which  God  has  left  for  our  devel- 
opment. There  is  a  good  deal  of  spas- 
modic Christianity  which  is  hot  to-day  and 
cold  to-morrow,  which  is  faithful  one  day 
and  faithless  the  next.  Such  spurious 
Christianity  can  never  satisfy.  It  is  the 
regular,  persistent,  earnest  following  of 
truth  which  gives  truth  an  opportunity  to 
enter  in  and  do  its  work.  Day  after  day, 
hour  after  hour,  line  upon  line,  precept 
upon  precept — so  the  will  of  God  is  ful- 
filled in  man  as  in  nature.  Oh,  if  men 
would  only  "  keep  at  it "  in  the  develop- 
ment of  the  spiritual  life,  how  gloriously 
they  would  prove  the  faithfulness  of  God's 
promise !  To  pray  without  ceasing,  to  find 
God's  temple  the  dearest  place  on  earth,  to 
make  His  Word  the  companion  of  life — 


THE  MEANS  OF  GRACE.  129 

this  is  to  meet  with  the  sure  abundance  of 
God's  blessedness. 

What  shall  we  say  as  to  the  spirit  in  God  works, 
which  the  Christian  should  approach  these 
blessings  ?  First,  surely  this,  that  he  must 
know  that  they  are  powers  through  which 
God  works.  Even  as  God  works  through 
the  sunshine  and  the  rain  upon  vegetation, 
and  even  as  He  works  through  the  voice 
and  the  written  page  in  mental  develop- 
ment, so  He  works  positively  through  these 
things  which  He  has  asked  His  children  to 
do.  It  is  a  glorious  thing  to  realize,  as  we 
hold  our  Bible  in  our  hands,  that  God's 
eternal  power  is  back  of  the  Book  to  make 
His  Word  quick  and  powerful.  It  is  a 
marvellous  and  yet  absolute  truth  that  as 
we  kneel  to  pray,  God's  mighty  Spirit  is 
working  in  and  through  that  devotion  of 
ours,  even  as  the  Apostle  says  when  he  de- 
clares that  the  Spirit  itself  maketh  inter- 
cession for  us  with  unutterable  groanings. 
When  we  enter  the  church  where  God  has 
promised  to  be  with  even  two  or  three  who 
are  gathered  together  in  His  name,  it  is 
inspiring  to  know  that  God's  power  is  there 
just  as  really  as  it  is  in  the  atmosphere  our 
bodies  breathe  and  in  the  light  which  our 
eyes  perceive.    In  other  words  we  must  al- 


130  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

ways  remember  that  it  is  not  merely  the 
effect  upon  ourselves  subjectively  but  the 
divine  power  of  God  from  without  working 
through  these  means  of  grace  that  must 
prove  them  effective.  To  pray  and  to  read 
the  Bible  sincerely  will  bring  results,  man- 
ifestations of  God's  might,  just  as  really 
as  touching  the  button  will  flash  the  room 
with  electric  light,  or  as  moving  a  lever 
will  cause  the  engine  to  start  on  its  way 
and  pull  its  load  behind. 

May  God  give  us  grace  to  use  these 
means  of  His  providing  sincerely,  rever- 
ently and  believingly,  and  may  He  help 
us  to  love  Him  all  the  more  because  of 
this  gracious  providing  of  His  whereby 
we  are  enabled  to  become  purer  and 
nobler  and  to  grow  into  His  image  and 
after  His  likeness. 

Dear  Lord  God,  for  all  Thy  mercies, 
and  especially  for  the  gracious  provision 
which  Thou  hast  made  for  my  growth  I 
praise  Thee.  I  feel  my  own  weakness.  I 
cannot  bring  myself  to  the  holiness  which 
Thou  dost  ask  and  which  I  desire.  As  I 
look  upon  myself  I  am  in  despair,  but 
when  I  look  to  Thee  and  see  Thy  gracious 
hand  stretched  out,  and  know  that  I  can 


THE  MEANS  OF  GRACE.  131 

grasp  it  and  be  lifted  up,  then  indeed  am 
I  comforted.  Help  me,  O  gracious  Mas- 
ter, to  do  those  things  which  Thou  hast  com- 
manded, and  to  find  in  them  a  fulfilment 
of  Thy  promise  as  my  life  by  Thy  grace 
grows  purer  and  my  love  for  Thee  deeper! 
For  Thine  own  dear  sake.     Amen. 


CHAPTEK  XL 

THE   BIBLE. 

If  God  has  made  us  and  if  He  is  our 
Father,  we  must  expect  that  in  some  way 
He  would  communicate  with  us.  It  is  in- 
conceivable to  think  of  God  giving  life 
to  His  children  and  loving  them,  and  yet 
being  silent  through  all  the  ages  since  man 
first  began.  We  should  expect  a  Bible 
even  if  there  were  none.  One  can  readily 
conceive  of  men  hungering  and  thirsting 
for  a  message  from  their  Creator  and  un- 
willing to  give  up  the  search  for  some 
revelation  of  Himself. 
God  speak-  That  so  early  in  the  history  of  humanity 
God  did  thus  speak  is  but  a  proof  of  the 
way  in  which  our  expectations  are  always 
met  by  our  Father.  In  the  Garden  He 
spoke  to  our  first  parents.  He  guided  the 
actions  of  ISToah.  He  revealed  Himself 
by  word  of  mouth  to  the  patriarchs,  and 
then  when  Moses  was  called  He  bade  him 
write  down  all  of  these  revelations  in  or- 
132 


ing. 


THE  BIBLE.  133 

der  that  future  ages  might  know  them  and 
profit  by  them.  He  has  spoken  through 
His  Prophets  since  the  world  began.  And 
when  the  Master  Himself  came  to  earth 
He  gathered  about  Him  those  who  later, 
by  the  Spirit  of  God,  wrote  down  His 
words  and  told  of  His  works;  and  so  we 
have  our  Bible  as  it  is  to-day.  It  is  a  won- 
derful proof  of  God's  care  and  a  marvel- 
lous answer  to  the  natural  longing  of  man- 
kind. 

We  cannot  here  give  a  history  of  the  Thereve- 
formation  of  the  Bible  or  of  its  translation  qq^ 
into  English  from  the  original  languages 
in  which  it  was  written.  There  are  many 
books  bearing  upon  this  phase  of  the  sub- 
ject with  which  the  Christian  ought  to  be 
familiar.  We  desire  rather  now,  first  to 
show  what  the  Bible  contains,  and  sec- 
ondly how  the  Christian  man  should  use 
it.  The  Bible,  then,  is  to  be  considered 
as  the  revelation  of  God.  It  gives  us  the 
only  history  we  have  of  the  life  of  the  world 
from  the  time  when  the  heavens  and  the 
earth  were  created  down  to  the  time  when 
the  Christian  church  was  well  established 
upon  the  earth.  It  is  a  glorious  pano- 
rama. We  see  man  placed  upon  earth  by 
the  Almighty  to  govern  it  and  to  enjoy 


134  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

it.  Then  man  by  disobedience  fell  and 
there  began  that  long  struggle  upward 
which  is  still  continuing.  God  revealed 
Himself  more  and  more  in  laws  and  in 
gracious  promises  to  strengthen  and  to  en- 
courage in  the  struggle.  He  established 
amongst  His  chosen  people  sacrifices  which 
were  types  of  the  one  great  Sacrifice  which 
He  planned  in  fulness  of  time  should  be 
offered.  Then  came  the  Master  Himself 
Who  is  the  Centre  and  the  interpretation 
of  the  whole  Bible,  for  the  Old  Testament 
points  forward  to  Him  and  the  New  Testa- 
ment tells  of  Him.  And  He,  the  Christ, 
gained  for  mankind  the  victory  and  showed 
men  how  they  might  make  that  victory 
their  own,  and  how  they  might  grow  into 
ever  richer  fulness  and  goodness.  Then 
came  the  early  workers  in  the  church,  and 
guided  by  the  Holy  Spirit  they  established 
Christianity  over  all  the  then  known 
world;  and  finally  St.  John  on  Patmos 
saw  a  vision  of  the  glorious  consummation 
when  all  things  should  be  finished,  and  the 
world  and  man  perfected  in  the  presence  of 
God. 
Bible  There  have  naturally  been  enemies  of  the 

Bible  who  have  doubted  concerning  its  be- 
ing the  Word  of  God,  and  who  have  not 


THE  BIBLE.  135 

hesitated  to  look  for  mistakes  which  would 
defeat  its  usefulness  as  a  revelation  of  the 
Almighty.  And  there  are  to-day,  even 
amongst  nominal  Christians,  some  who 
count  the  Book  as  no  better  than  many 
other  books,  interesting  because  of  its  age, 
but  full  of  errors  and  unreliable  in  many 
of  its  detailed  facts.  Let  me  say  here 
most  positively  that  all  of  these  attacks  in 
the  past  have  proved  futile.  The  Bible 
stands  to-day  stronger  than  ever  before. 
Every  real  discovery  which  has  been  made, 
whether  of  manuscript  or  of  tablet  taken 
from  the  earth,  has  proved,  even  in  minute 
detail,  the  authenticity  and  the  genuine- 
ness of  this  Book.  We  need  not  be  afraid 
of  any  examination  or  criticism  which  man 
can  bring  in  connection  with  the  Bible. 
It  is  God's  Word,  and  we  can  rely  upon  it, 
and  need  not  fear  lest  human  ingenuity 
should  contradict  the  truth  of  the  Almighty. 
It  is  well  to  have  an  open  mind  and  not 
to  attack  the  men  who  are  honestly  seek- 
ing to  learn  more  about  the  formation  and 
contents  of  the  Bible;  but  on  the  other 
hand  we  must  not  let  our  faith  in  its  mes- 
sage be  weakened  in  any  particular,  but 
go  with  assurance  to  this  Book  and  hear 
God  speak  through  it. 


136  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

Use  of  the        Now,  how  can  we  use  the  Bible  as  a 
Bible.  ' 

means  of  grace  ?     Let  us  be  very  simple. 

First,  every  Christian  should  have  a  Bible 
of  his  own,  which  he  should  use  and  which 
he  should  not  hesitate  to  mark  and  to  bring 
into  association  with  every  dear  event  of 
his  life.  One  loves  to  see  a  Bible  full  of 
little  sacred  tokens  which  none  can  under- 
stand save  the  one  who  owns  it.  One 
loves  to  finds  marks  and  dates  and  perhaps 
a  written  expression  of  some  emotion,  or 
a  record  of  some  event  on  the  margin. 
These  things  all  prove  the  way  in  which 
this  blessed  Book  has  become  a  lamp 
unto  the  feet  and  a  light  upon  the  path. 
Second,  we  must  read  the  Book  and  be 
familiar  with  all  of  its  wonderful  events 
and  teachings.  This  is  partly  an  intel- 
lectual study,  but  it  also  affects  the  spirit- 
ual study.  It  is  unworthy  for  an  intel- 
ligent man  to  be  ignorant  of  the  great 
events  and  characters  of  the  Bible,  and  he 
who  would  profit  by  it  must  have  both  Old 
and  New  Testament  so  clearly  fixed  in  his 
mind  as  to  make  a  reference  or  a  quota- 
tion quickly  to  be  recognized.  Again, 
there  must  be  the  devotional  use  of  the 
Bible  at  least  once  a  day  and  better  twice 
a  day.     In  this  use  of  the  Book  the  Bible 


THE  BIBLE.  137 

should  be  taken  in  the  hand  and  a  little 
prayer  offered  to  God  before  it  is  opened, 
that  He  would  send  His  Spirit  to  guide  and 
to  reveal  His  truth.  Then  let  the  Bible  be 
opened  and  some  devotional  passage,  such 
as  a  Psalm  or  some  words  of  our  Lord,  be 
read.  It  is  not  wise  to  read  too  much.  A 
few  verses,  or  a  verse,  or  even  part  of  a 
verse  may  be  sufficient,  for  what  we  want 
to  do  is  to  get  food  to  strengthen  us  in  our 
lives.  We  may  read,  for  instance,  the 
121st  Psalm:  "I  will  lift  up  mine  eyes 
unto  the  hills,  from  whence  cometh  my 
help."  Perhaps  that  one  verse  is  enough. 
What  does  God  intend  to  teach  me  from 
those  words  ?  That  I  should  look  up,  not 
down;  that  I  should  look  to  Him  Who  is 
like  the  strong  mountains  in  His  love  and 
in  His  truth;  that  I  should  realize  His 
help  which  has  been  promised  and  which 
can  never  fail;  that  I  should  keep  my 
eyes  fixed  upon  Him  Who  is  my  God  and 
never  lower  them.  There  is  my  message 
for  the  day.  I  am  strengthened  and  re- 
freshed. Or  I  may  turn  to  some  words 
of  the  Master,  for  instance,  those  found 
in  the  15th  chapter  of  St.  John:  "Ye  are 
my  friends."  That  is  enough.  I  stop 
just  there.     I  am  Christ's  friend;  not  a 


138  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

servant,  not  a  slave,  not  one  who  is  afraid, 
not  one  who  is  shut  out  from  the  dearest 
and  holiest  part  of  my  Master's  nature, 
but  one  wTho  is  admitted  as  a  companion, 
one  to  whom  He  speaks  from  the  depths 
of  His  divine  love,  even  as  I  can  speak  to 
Him  with  naked  heart.  I  am  not  alone, 
because  I  am  the  friend  of  Christ.  I  can- 
not fail,  because  His  friendship  will  sus- 
tain me ;  unworthy  though  I  am,  the  great 
strength  of  His  love  will  surround  me. 
Here  I  have  the  message  which  I  need 
and  by  which  I  am  enabled  to  live. 

Bible  devo-  This  devotional  use  of  the  Bible  should 
be  observed,  as  I  have  already  said,  at 
least  twice  a  day.  The  "  quiet  hour " 
when  we  are  alone  with  God,  even  al- 
though it  may  be  brief,  should  be  sacred, 
when  with  Bible  in  hand  we  listen  to  Him 
speak  and  rejoice  at  the  sound  of  His 
voice. 

Bible  in  Then  we  should  use  the  Bible  in  times 

of  necessity.  It  is  easy  to  laugh  and  cry 
"  superstition "  when  people  open  the 
Bible  at  random  to  get  a  message  of  guid- 
ance in  some  great  crisis  of  their  lives; 
but  after  all,  these  people  have  a  deeper 
faith  than  we  often  imagine.  If  we  would 
accustom  ourselves  to  go  to  this  Book  in 


>  THE  BIBLE.  I39 

time  of  need  and  expect  a  message  from 
God  to  sustain  us  we  would  find  ourselves 
always  rewarded.  Times  of  joy  and  times 
of  sorrow,  times  of  trouble  and  times  of 
perplexity,  these  are  all  met  by  Him  Who 
has  given  to  us  this  revelation  of  His  love 
and  of  His  truth.  We  can  never  fail  to 
receive  help  in  time  of  need  if  we  go  thus 
boldly  to  the  fountain  of  wisdom  which 
God  has  provided. 

Yet  once  more,  it  is  well  for  us  to  learn  Bible  re- 
by  heart  certain  portions  of  the  Bible.  freshes- 
They  will  not  only  serve  us  at  times  when 
we  may  not  be  able  to  read,  but  they  will 
come  to  us  again  and  again  as  a  refresh- 
ment in  the  weary  land  of  our  pilgrimage. 
To  know  by  heart  the  23rd  Psalm,  the 
51st  Psalm,  the  121st  Psalm,  and  the  14th 
chapter  of  St.  John,  and  the  13th  chapter  of 
1st  Corinthians  and  the  22nd  chapter  of 
the  Revelation  is  to  have  a  store  of  rich- 
ness and  comfort  which  is  real  and  in- 
exhaustible. A  clergyman  told  me  not 
long  ago  that  he  found  the  most  useful 
thing  in  all  his  life  to  be  the  Bible  verses 
he  learned  when  he  was  a  Sunday-school 
scholar.  To  learn  one  verse  every  day, 
perhaps  in  the  morning,  and  to  keep  re- 
peating it  through  the  day  and  trying  to 


140  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

grasp  more  and  more  of  its  meaning,  is  to 
use,  as  God  would  have  us  use,  this  blessed 
Book. 
Bible  mes-  One  word  more.  Let  us  always  remem- 
mfGS  her  distinctly  that  God  is  speaking  to  us 
individually.  It  is  not  merely  a  general 
message  we  are  reading  but  it  is  a  word 
which  the  Father  addresses  to  each  one  of 
His  children,  and  that  word  has  a  direct 
application  to  each  child's  need.  You 
may  read  a  verse  and  I  may  read  the  same 
and  yet  it  will  convey  to  each  of  us  quite 
a  different  message  because  each  of  us 
has  a  different  need.  It  is  often  useful 
to  change  the  pronoun  in  reading  the  Bible 
so  as  to  make  it  more  personal.  For  in- 
stance in  the  14th  chapter  of  St.  John  we 
might  read :  "  Let  not  thy  heart  be  troubled. 
Thou  dost  believe  in  God,  believe  thou  also 
in  me."  Or  we  may  take  the  dear  Lord's 
Prayer,  and  read  it :  "  My  Father  Who 
art  in  Heaven,  ....  give  me  this  day  my 
daily  bread."  It  is  this  personal  message 
which  makes  the  Book  so  dear  and  which 
sanctifies  it  in  a  peculiar  way  to  our  use. 
Thank  God  for  this  Bible  which  can 
never  fail  in  the  future  as  it  has  never 
failed  in  the  past  to  guide  God's  people  in 
their  journey  through  life,  and  to  be  a  com- 


THE  BIBLE.  141 

fort  and  blessing  to  every  individual  child 
of  the  Master. 


Blessed  Lord,  Who  hast  caused  all  Holy 
Scriptures  to  be  written  for  my  learning, 
grant  that  I  may  in  such  wise  hear  them, 
read,  mark,  learn  and  inwardly  digest 
them,  that  by  patience,  and  comfort  of 
Thy  Holy  Word,  I  may  embrace  and  ever 
hold  fast  the  blessed  hope  of  everlasting 
life  which  Thou  hast  given  me  in  my 
Saviour  Jesus  Christ.  Amen.  (From 
P.  E.  Prayer  Book.) 


CHAPTEE  XII. 

PEAYEE. 

To  speak  to  God  and  to  hear  Him  speak 
to  us  must  surely  lift  us  nearer  to  Him 
and  make  us  feel  the  reality  of  His 
presence  and  the  greatness  of  His  love  for 
us.  Prayer  is  communion  with  God;  it 
is  that  fellowship  which  brings  Him  Who 
is  invisible  right  into  our  lives  and  makes 
Him  the  blessed  Companion  of  every  day 
and  hour.  "  Lo,  I  am  with  you  always," 
or  "  all  the  days  "  said  Jesus,  and  He  must 
have  meant  that  His  presence  would  be 
like  that  which  the  disciples  enjoyed  when 
He  was  upon  earth,  only  without  the  phys- 
ical contact.  That  is,  if  Jesus  is  with  us 
as  He  was  with  them,  walking  over  the 
roads  of  Palestine  and  sitting  on  the  moun- 
tain-side, then  we  must  hear  His  voice 
and  talk  to  Him  even  as  they  heard  and 
talked.  The  fact  that  we  cannot  see  Him 
does  not  for  one  instant  contradict  this 
blessed  truth,  for  we  know,  even  by  mod- 
ern discovery,  the  joy  of  communicating 
142 


PRAYER.  143 

with  one  whom  we  cannot  see  and  whose 
voice  we  cannot  hear.  If  the  traveller  in 
mid-ocean  can  send  a  message  to  those  at 
home  and  receive  a  message  in  return,  is 

-  it  any  more  wonderful  that  the  dear  Mas- 
ter, Who  is  ever  with  us,  should  speak  to 
us  and  we  to  Him  although  we  can  neither 
hear  nor  see? 

If  we  really  love  Christ — and  we  can- 
not help  loving  Him  if  we  read  the  Gos- 
pels— then  we  will  find  the  greatest  com- 
fort of  our  lives  in  talking  to  Him.  Not 
only  at  stated  times  but  unceasingly  will 
we  pray;  not  only  by  pouring  forth  words 
but  by  the  very  emotion  of  our  hearts  will 
we  speak  even  as  friend  talks  with  friend 
though  no  word  is  spoken,  the  eyes  and  the 
consciousness  of  the  presence  and  the  heart 
carrying  on  the  conversation.  It  is  all 
wonderful  but  it  is  all  true;  and  the  man 
who  prays  is  invariably  the  man  who  enters 
into  the  largeness  of  the  spiritual  life, 
and  understands  the  presence  of  God  in  all 

I  His  world.  That  beautiful  hymn  which 
tells  us  that 

"  Prayer  is  the  burden  of  a  sigh, 
The  falling  of  a  tear, 
The  upward  glancing  of  an  eye, 
When  none  but  God  is  near." 


prayer. 


144  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

is  an  exact  description  of  the  life  of  one 
who  communes  with   God. 
P!iv„ail  Let  us  now  consider  how  we  ought  to 

pray.  First,  there  must  be  the  regular 
private  prayer  of  morning  and  night.  It 
is  a  great  pity  to  neglect  the  morning 
prayer  as  many  do.  It  is  just  as  important 
as  the  night  prayer.  We  need  to  realize 
the  presence  of  our  King  in  the  daily  life 
and  to  feel  that  that  presence  goes  before 
us,  even  as  at  night  we  know  that  it  fol- 
lows after  us.  The  fiery  and  cloudy  pil- 
lar which  protected  the  Jews  as  they  came 
out  of  Egypt  was  a  light  by  night  and  a 
cloud  by  day.  When  we  pray  we  should 
enter  into  our  closets  and  shut  the  door — 
so  our  Master  said.  We  want  to  be  alone 
with  Him,  and  although  sometimes  it  may 
be  difficult  to  secure  this  isolation  it  is 
most  important  if  we  would  have  the  full 
blessedness  of  the  communion.  Then  we 
should  sit  for  a  little  while  in  absolute  still- 
ness. Most  of  us  talk  too  much  in  our 
prayer  and  do  not  give  God  an  opportu- 
nity to  speak.  Let  us  listen  a  moment  for 
His  "  still  small  voice  "  and  rejoice  that  He 
comes  near  to  greet  us.  Oh,  how  He  loves 
us,  and  how  wonderfully  tender  is  His 
voice  as  He,  like  a  Father,  tells  us  of  His 


PRAYER.  145 

love  and  of  the  plans  lie  has  for  us  in  our 
lives!  It  is  well  for  us,  too,  to  remember 
before  we  begin  to  speak  ourselves,  Whom 
we  are  approaching — the  great,  eternal 
God,  Maker  of  heaven  and  earth,  Who  has 
come  to  listen  to  one  of  His  children — the 
loving  Father  Who  made  us  and  Who  has 
prepared  a  home  for  us  after  this  painful 
life  is  ended.  How  beautiful  He  is,  how 
loving,  how  patient,  how  wise !  How  ten- 
der He  is  in  His  approach  to  us,  not  break- 
ing the  bruised  reed  nor  quenching  the 
smoking  flax !  Here  in  this  moment  of  sol- 
itude the  great  First  Cause  of  all  things 
comes  to  us  and  listens  and  speaks  and 
blesses. 

Then  let  me  pour  forth  my  supplication  ;  Telling  our 
let  me  tell  Him  all  the  story ;  my  troubles, 
my  needs,  my  joys,  my  sorrows,  my  friend- 
ships, my  longings — let  me  tell  them  all  to 
Him  Who  is  far  more  interested  than  any 
loving  mother  can  ever  be  in  the  experi- 
ences of  her  child.  Let  me  ask  Him  to 
bless  those  near  and  dear  to  me.  Let  me 
tell  Him  of  my  work  and  how  I  have  ap- 
parently failed  or  succeeded.  Let  me 
tell  Him  of  my  doubts  and  how  I  find 
it  hard  to  believe,  particularly  in  hours  of 
darkness.    Let  me  tell  Him  of  my  visions 


prayer. 


146  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

and  how  I  long  to  be  what  I  know  He 
would  have  me  be.  Let  me  tell  Him  of 
my  enemies  and  ask  Him  to  forgive  them 
and  to  grant  me  the  grace  to  forgive  and 
forget.  Let  me  whisper  the  names  of  my 
dearest  and  best  and  plead  with  Him  to 
do  that  which  He  is  more  than  ready  to  do, 
pour  upon  them  His  choicest  gifts.  Such 
prayer  filled  with  thanksgiving  and  adora- 
tion cannot  fail  to  make  me  a  stronger  and 
a  better  man. 
Public^  we  must  not  forget  public  prayer.     We 

shall  speak  in  our  next  chapter  of  wor- 
ship, but  here  let  it  be  said  that  no  private 
prayer  can  be  effective  unless  it  is  asso- 
ciated with  public  worship.  The  man  who 
goes  to  church  and  prays  there  is  the  man 
who  prays  in  private.  The  two  are  very 
distinctly  associated  together.  Let  it  also 
be  remembered  that  family  prayer  and 
grace  at  meals  cannot  be  forgotten  if  we 
really  love  God  and  desire  His  help.  The 
decay  of  the  family  altar,  that  is,  the  giv- 
ing up  of  family  prayers,  undoubtedly  lies 
as  a  very  large  cause  for  the  breaking  up 
of  the  family  in  many  unhappy  cases. 
~No  wonder  that  divorce  and  separations 
and  unhappiness  through  incompatibility 
of  temper  should  be  so  frequent  in  our 


PRAYER.  14Y 

American  land  when  seldom  if  ever  the 
family  are  gathered  together  for  morning 
or  evening  devotions !  Until  we  have  fam- 
ily prayer  regularly  we  cannot  look  for 
a  reformation  in  the  immorality  so  sadly 
associated  at  present  with  married  life. 
There  should  also  be  that  expression  of 
gratitude  to  God  before  we  eat  which  is 
the  part  of  courtesy  as  well  as  of  religion. 
For  a  man  to  nourish  his  body  with  the 
food  which  God  gives  and  yet  never  say 
il  thank  you  "  is  to  prove  himself,  no  mat- 
ter how  much  he  may  pride  himself  upon 
his  courtesy,  as  lacking  in  the  first  ele- 
ments of  a  gentleman.  There  is  no  reason 
why  we  should  not  bow  our  head  wherever 
we  are  and  say  "  thank  you  "  to  God  be- 
fore eating  a  meal.  Whether  people  ap- 
prove or  disapprove  it  is  no  reason  why 
we  should  forget  this  courtesy  of  life  and 
fail  to  remember  that  it  is  a  part  of  prayer. 

We  must  remember  also  to  pray  for  our  Prayer  for 

enemies, 
enemies — those  who  hate  us  and  spitefully 

use  us  and  persecute  us.     It  is  hard  to 

ask  God  to  bless  them  when  we  feel  as  if 

they  ought  to  be  cursed ;  but  if  we  expect 

mercy  ourselves  from  God,  we  must  plead 

for  mercy  upon  those  who  are  cruel  to  us 

even  as  the  Master  prayed  for  His  perse- 


ways. 


148  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN, 

cutors,  saying :  "  Father,  forgive  them ;  for 
they  know  not  what  they  do." 
Prayer  al-  And  finally  let  us  remember  that  we  go 
to  God  unceasingly  in  prayer  when  we  are 
conscious  of  His  presence,  and  commune 
with  Him  as  we  walk  on  the  way.  It  is  a 
blessed  thing  to  realize  that  even  as  He 
notes  our  down-sitting  and  our  up-rising  so 
He  is  about  our  paths  and  knows  all  our 
ways.  To  speak  to  Him  as  naturally,  when 
some  beauty  impresses  us  or  when  some 
need  tries  us,  as  we  would  speak  to  a  friend 
by  our  side;  to  call  upon  Him  as  instinc- 
tively as  the  child  calls  upon  its  mother 
in  time  of  need;  to  feel  in  our  loneliness 
the  great  comfort  of  His  blessed  presence; 
to  remember  that  He,  though  we  are  sorely 
tried,  is  bearing  our  infirmity  with  us — 
all  this  is  to  know  what  prayer  in  the 
Christian  life  means  and  how  it  can  en- 
rich and  strengthen  our  character. 

u  Oh,  when  the  heart  is  full,  when  bitter  thoughts 
Come  crowding  thickly  up  for  utterance, 
And  the  poor  common  words  of  courtesy 
Are  such  a  very  mockery,  how  much 
The  bursting  heart  may  pour  itself  in  prayer ! " 

Dear  Lord,  teach  me  to  pray.    Help  me 
to  communicate  with  Thee  in  spirit.     Let 


PRAYER.  149 

me  never  forget  that  Thou  art  near,  and 
that  Thou  dost  love,  and  that  Thou  dost 
care,  and  that  Thou  wilt  help.  Let  me 
bring  my  troubles  to  Thee  and  my  joys  and 
my  friendships.  Let  me  bring  my  work 
to  Thee  and  my  problems  and  my  enemies. 
Let  me  feel  Thee  near  me  as  my  Best 
Friend;  and  O,  Lord,  fulfil  Thy  promise, 
and  answer  and  comfort  Thy  servant.  For 
Thine  own  dear  sake.    Amen. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

PUBLIC    WORSHIP. 

God  has  established  men  in  families  and 
He  has  bidden  them  feel  their  common  re- 
lationship as  brothers.  When  He  drew 
His  own  people  to  Himself  He  yet  more 
positively  made  them  feel  their  brother- 
hood. They  were  to  serve  one  another; 
they  were  to  help  one  another,  and  they 
were  to  worship  together  in  their  com- 
mon love  for  Him.  Amongst  the  Jews  in 
the  early  patriarchal  days  the  father  of  the 
family  was  the  head  and  the  priest  in  his 
own  household.  There  is  every  reason  to 
believe  that  he  was  accustomed  to  gather 
the  family  together  at  stated  intervals  for 
sacrifice  and  instruction.  Later,  or  after 
the  Children  of  Israel  came  out  of  Egypt, 
while  the  family  idea  still  ruled,  it  was 
merged  into  the  larger  idea  of  God's 
chosen  people,  and  the  tabernacle  was  built 
and  carried  with  them  all  through  their 
forty  years  of  wandering.  In  it  they  were 
150 


PUBLIC  WORSHIP.  151 

accustomed  to  assemble  and  in  it  the  daily  Temple 

worship, 
sacrifices  were  offered.     After  entering  the 

promised  land  the  tabernacle  still  served  as 
a  centre  of  worship,  though  the  people  were 
too  scattered  to  go  to  it  very  often.  There 
seem  to  have  been  at  this  time  smaller 
places  of  worship  called  "  synagogues " 
which  corresponded  largely  to  our  modern 
churches.  By  and  by  the  great  temple 
built  by  Solomon  in  Jerusalem  took  the 
place  of  the  tabernacle  which  for  a  long 
time  had  been  in  Shiloh,  and  the  regular 
order  of  worship  which  God  had  com- 
manded through  Moses  was  continued. 
There  were  ministers,  called  High  Priests, 
Priests  and  Levites,  and  the  people  were 
accustomed  to  assemble  and  worship  to- 
gether. Synagogues  were  still  kept  up  in 
various  places  and  there  the  people  as- 
sembled every  Sabbath  Day  to  hear  the 
Scriptures  read  and  to  join  in  the  worship. 
After  the  Christian  Church  was  established 
and  the  observance  of  the  first  day  of  the 
week,  the  Lord's  Day,  took  the  place  of  the 
observance  of  the  seventh,  there  still  con- 
tinued the  same  public  worship,  and  the 
people  gathered  together  to  offer  to  the 
Almighty  the  sacrifice  of  praise  and 
prayer.    Down  to  the  present  time  this  has 


152  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

continued,  and  we  may  well  believe  that  it 
is  in  accord  with  God's  will,  since  by  this 
public  worship  men  have  been  made 
stronger,  instructed  in  holy  things,  and 
drawn  nearer  to  each  other. 

The  importance,  then,  of  public  worship 
cannot  be  impressed  too  strongly  upon  the 
Christian  man.  It  is  commanded  by  God, 
both  by  precept  and  by  the  example  of  His 
people ;  it  is  necessary  for  our  own  strength 
and  comfort,  and  it  is  the  means  whereby 
Christians  can  work  together  for  the  wel- 
fare of  mankind. 
Christian  j^  -Qg  now  see  ^ow  ^e  Christian  man 
should  use  public  worship  as  a  means  of 
grace.  First  of  all,  he  should  attend  regu- 
larly. Nothing  but  sickness,  or  some 
imperative  duty  which  he  can  bring  con- 
scientiously before  God,  should  keep  him 
from  going  to  church.  Moreover  he  should 
go  at  least  twice  every  Sunday.  The  Jews 
had  the  morning  and  evening  sacrifice,  and 
corresponding  to  these,  all  through  the  cen- 
turies, have  been  the  morning  and  evening 
worship  of  God's  people.  The  Lord's  Day 
is  holy  and  should  be  observed  as  holy.  All 
of  the  commands  of  God  concerning  the 
Jewish  Sabbath,  which  was  the  seventh 
day,  rest  upon  the  Christian  as  concerning 


PUBLIC  WORSHIP.  153 

the  first  day,  which  is  now  kept  because 
Christ  arose  from  the  dead  on  Sunday. 
We  have  no  right  to  work  on  Sunday.  We 
have  no  right  to  play  in  the  ordinary  ac- 
ceptation of  that  word.  The  Lord's  Day 
is  not  a  gloomy  day,  but  it  is  a  day  when 
we  should  change  our  occupation  and  give 
our  minds  to  God  and  His  truth,  and  try 
to  help  men  in  acts  of  mercy.  The  Chris- 
tian to-day  cannot  take  too  strong  a  stand 
about  the  observance  of  Sunday.  There  is 
grave  danger  of  its  becoming  a  holiday, 
particularly  because  of  the  influence  of  the 
great  number  of  foreigners  who  at  home 
have  never  been  accustomed  to  observe  the 
day.  ]STo  nation  can  prosper  where  the 
Lord's  Day  is  not  righteously  observed, 
and  no  individual  can  expect  a  blessing  to 
rest  upon  him  who  does  not  sanctify  it 
and  keep  it  holy.  Therefore  the  day  must 
preeminently  be  given  to  worship.  The 
people  of  God  are  to  assemble  together  to 
hear  His  Word,  to  pray  to  Him,  to  give 
Him  thanks,  and  to  listen  to  His  message 
given  through  His  ministers.  It  ought  to 
be  looked  upon  as  a  privilege  rather  than  a 
duty  to  attend  church.  If  we  could  only 
realize  how  the  dear  Father  is  waiting  to 
bless  us  and  comfort  us  and  help  us  we 


154: 


THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 


Ministers 
human. 


Join  in 
worship. 


would  go  eagerly  and  nothing  could  keep 
us  away. 

Because  we  are  human  it  is  sometimes 
difficult,  with  our  modern  forms  of  wor- 
ship, not  to  be  influenced  by  the  ability  or 
the  habits  of  the  minister;  but  the  true 
Christian  ought  to  be  big  enough  to  realize 
that  the  minister  is  only  a  man  like  him- 
self, whom  God  has  set  apart,  not  as  holier 
than  the  rest  of  His  people,  but  as  a  leader 
for  their  devotions.  If  people  would  pray 
for  their  ministers  more  and  criticise  less 
there  would  be  a  great  improvement  both 
in  the  conduct  of  public  worship  and  in  the 
ability  of  the  ministers  themselves.  But 
let  it  be  remembered  that  there  can  be  no 
excuse  for  staying  away  from  church  in  the 
mere  fact  that  the  ministrations  of  a 
pastor  are  not  altogether  acceptable. 

The  true  Christian  joins  heartily  in  the 
worship ;  he  lifts  his  voice  with  his  fellow 
Christians  in  praise  and  adoration;  he 
listens  attentively  to  God's  holy  Word; 
his  heart  goes  up  in  the  prayer  which  is 
offered,  which  is  the  prayer  of  all  God's 
people  assembled  together,  and  he  feels 
that  his  own  personal  prayers  which  he 
offers  during  the  silent  moments  of  the 
worship   hour   are   doubly   strong  because 


PUBLIC  WORSHIP.  155 

they  wing  their  way  to  heaven  with  the 
united  desire  of  God's  church.  Oh,  the 
blessedness  of  these  quiet  moments  in  pub- 
lic worship!  We  cannot  think  too  highly 
of  them.  God  is  there  in  His  church,  and 
as  we  pray  He  hears,  and  hears,  if  it  were 
possible,  with  even  greater  love  than  when 
we  pray  alone,  because  we  are  praying  in 
the  assembly  of  His  people. 

We  cannot  accent  too  forciblv  the  dutv  To  *et  and 

to  give, 
of  the  Christian  to  join  in  the  worship. 

He  is  not  there  merely  to  receive  but  to 
render  to  Almighty  God  thanksgiving  and 
adoration  and  praise.  It  is  an  error  to 
imagine  that  we  go  to  church  simply  to  get 
something.  We  do  indeed  receive  all  that 
we  long  for  if  we  go  in  the  right  spirit; 
but  it  is  our  privilege  to  offer  up  to  Al- 
mighty God  there,  in  His  peculiar  pres- 
ence, the  gifts  which  we  have  brought — 
our  love,  our  gratitude,  our  service,  our 
lives,  ourselves.  It  is  easy  to  realize,  so 
far  as  the  human  can,  how  the  Almighty 
must  rejoice  in  the  worship  of  His  children 
on  earth,  even  as  the  angels  cause  Him  joy 
by  their  worship  in  heaven.  If  there  is 
joy  in  the  presence  of  the  angels  of  God, 
and  the  expression  implies  that  the  joy  is 
God's  which  the  angels  see,  when  one  sinner 


156  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

repents,  how  much  more  must  there  be  joy 
when  God's  people  are  gathered  together 
and  bow  before  Him  in  adoration  and 
love!  The  Bible  is  full,  from  Genesis  to 
Revelation,  of  instances  where  God's  peo- 
ple thus  worshipped  Him,  and  as  we  shall 
by  and  by  join  with  angels  and  archangels 
before  the  great  white  throne  in  rendering 
our  thanksgivings  and  praise  to  Him  Who 
has  loved  us  and  redeemed  us;  so  let  us 
here  on  earth  rejoice  in  giving  to  Him 
with  all  of  our  hearts  the  love  which  is 
His  due. 

Blessing  in       There  should  be  in  this  public  worship  a 
need.  .  r 

sincere  faith  on  the  part  of  the  worshipper, 

first,  that  God  has  a  blessing  for  him  indi- 
vidually as  for  all  His  people,  and  sec- 
ondly, that  God  will  fulfil  His  promises 
to  those  who  there  offer  unto  Him  their 
petitions.  It  always  seems  to  me  a  pecul- 
iarly beautiful  thing  when  some  special 
need  is  brought  before  God  in  His  church. 
It  may  be  a  prayer  is  offered  for  some  sick 
person,  or  for  some  one  who  is  travelling, 
or  for  some  one  who  is  in  sorrow.  There 
falls  a  silence  over  the  congregation  as  if 
the  very  presence  of  God  was  felt.  Or 
when  some  public  benefit  is  asked  for,  such 
as  a  deliverance  from  sickness,  or  a  victory 


PUBLIC  WORSHIP.  157 

in  time  of  moral  conflict,  or  help  in  some 
great  undertaking,  then  there  seems  to  be 
a  reality  in  the  people  meeting  together  to 
implore  God  which  is  a  proof  in  itself  that 
God  hears  and  answers.  If  all  Christians 
prayed  in  church  on  Sundays  as  they  ought, 
and  if  each  individual  Christian  felt  him- 
self truly  a  part  of  the  whole  body,  and 
individual  needs  as  well  as  general  needs 
were  brought  before  God  by  the  minister, 
how  wonderful  would  be  the  result!  The 
church  would  take  her  power,  which  is 
waiting  for  her,  and  go  forth  mightily  to 
conquer.  Men  would  realize  that  this 
world  is  already  the  Kingdom  of  our  God 
and  of  His  Christ,  and  they  would  turn 
from  their  evil  ways  and  grant  their  al- 
legiance. 

It  ought  to  be  remembered  that  the  church  Open 
is  for  public  worship  not  only  on  Sundays  daily, 
but  on  week  days.  To  shut  the  church  up 
Sunday  night  and  keep  it  locked  all 
through  the  week  seems  to  deny  our  Lord's 
words  when  He  said :  "  Mine  house  shall 
be  called  a  house  of  prayer  for  all  people." 
It  is  true  that  in  many  cases  it  is  not  pos- 
sible to  hold  many  services  through  the 
week;  but  there  are  almost  always  one  or 
more  meetings  for  prayer  in  every  church 


158  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

which  should  be  attended  if  possible.  We 
lose  sight  of  God  too  readily,  particularly 
in  these  times  when  we  are  pressed  all 
through  the  day.  To  meet  for  prayer  in 
the  middle  of  the  week  or  on  special  days 
is  like  entering  into  the  shadow  of  a  great 
rock  in  a  weary  land. 
Blessings  What  are  some  of  the  blessings  coming 
ship.  to  the  Christian  from  public  worship? 
First  surely  this,  that  he  feels  the  reality 
of  God's  love  for  all  His  people.  Secondly, 
that  he  feels  himself  drawn  nearer  to  his 
fellow  strugglers  in  the  battle  of  life.  You 
cannot  pray  alongside  of  a  man  without 
feeling  that  sympathetic  touch  which  God 
Himself  has  given  to  humanity  and  which 
implies  common  brotherhood.  Thirdly, 
there  comes  a  strength  for  the  battle  of  life 
which  can  be  found  in  no  other  way.  The 
man  goes  out  from  the  holy  hour  spent  in 
God's  presence  with  a  new  determination 
to  struggle  and  with  a  new  light  of  hope 
in  his  face.  He  feels  that  the  world  is 
God's  because  God  has  everywhere  these 
sanctuaries  where  His  people  worship  Him 
and  which  make  the  earth  holy,  and  he 
feels  assured  that  the  wrongs  which  meet 
him    on    every   hand    can    never   prevail 


PUBLIC  WORSHIP.  159 

against  the  divine  and  overwhelming  glory 
of  God's  goodness. 

Finally,  the  Christian  realizes  that  he  Grace 
receives  grace  directly  from  God  in  the  God. 
church.  When  the  minister  gives  the  bene- 
diction at  the  close  of  the  service  it  is  not 
merely  a  form,  an  indication  that  the  serv- 
ice is  ended.  Nay,  it  is  far  more  than 
that;  it  is  a  declaration  that  that  which 
God's  people  have  sought  has  been  found, 
and  that  it  will  follow  them  out  into  their 
lives.  When  we  sing  our  hymns  it  is  not  a 
formal  act,  but  it  is  that  which  really  es- 
tablishes in  our  hearts  the  harmony  of 
God's  peace.  When  we  listen  to  the  Bible 
reading  it  is  not  the  mere  rehearsing  in 
our  ears  of  old  time-worn  truths,  but  it  is 
the  bringing  to  us  from  God  treasures  both 
old  and  new  which  will  nourish  us  and 
make  us  nobler.  And  when  we  bow  before 
the  Almighty,  offering  up  our  common 
petitions,  it  is  a  virtual  drawing  from  Him 
of  that  grace  which  He  is  more  ready  to 
give  than  we  are  to  seek.  Oh,  the  blessed- 
ness of  public  worship !  Let  the  Christian 
never  neglect  it.  Let  him  cry  in  the  words 
of  the  great  singer  of  Israel :  "  How 
amiable  are  thy  tabernacles,  0  Lord  of 
hosts !    My  soul  longeth,  yea,  even  f ainteth 


160  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

for  the  courts  of  the  Lord:  my  heart  and 
my  flesh  crieth  out  for  the  living  God." 

O,  dear  Lord  God,  I  thank  Thee  for 
Thy  church  and  for  the  privilege  of  wor- 
shipping Thee  in  the  midst  of  Thy  congre- 
gation !  Let  me  rejoice  in  the  opportunity 
which  Thou  dost  thus  afford.  Let  me 
come  with  a  song  and  with  a  prayer  to  be 
united  with  the  many  songs  and  prayers 
which  Thy  people  offer.  In  the  silence  of 
Thy  sanctuary  let  my  life  find  its  rest.  In 
the  sweetness  of  Thy  presence  let  my  soul 
find  peace.  Through  Jesus  Christ  my 
Lord.    Amen. 


CHAPTEK  XIV. 


We  come  now  to  the  last,  and  in  the 
minds  of  many  the  most  important,  of  all 
the  means  of  grace  which  God  has  given. 
There  have  been  through  all  the  centuries 
diversities  of  opinion  and  sometimes  very- 
hostile  divisions  concerning  the  Lord's 
Supper.  No  matter  what  opinions  our 
own  church  may  have,  we  must  try  to  avoid 
saying  or  teaching  anything  which  shall 
hurt  a  fellow  Christian.  This  service  is 
too  holy  and  blessed  a  privilege  for  us  to 
permit  it  to  descend  into  the  arena  of  con- 
troversy. We  will,  therefore,  in  this  chap- 
ter seek  to  reveal  in  the  simplest  way  this 
great  privilege  which  the  Lord  has  given  to 
His  people. 

The  story  of  the  institution  of  the  Lord's  How  insti- 
Supper  is  a  very  beautiful  and  simple  one. 
Our  Lord  sent  His  disciples  to  prepare 
for  the  Passover  which  He  was  to  eat  with 
them.  In  accord  with  His  instructions 
161 


tuted. 


162  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

they  found  a  room  prepared;  they  made 
ready  the  Passover,  and  at  the  evening 
hour  they  all  came  together  to  that  upper 
room  which  has  been  in  the  minds  of 
Christians  ever  since  the  holiest  place  in 
Jerusalem.  After  supper  He  took  bread, 
and  blessing  it,  and  dividing  it,  He  gave 
it  to  His  disciples  saying:  "  Take,  eat, 
this  is  my  body."  And  then  He  took  the 
cup  and  gave  thanks,  and  gave  it  to  them, 
saying :  "  Drink  ye  all  of  it ;  For  this  is 
my  blood  of  the  new  testament,  which  is 
shed  for  many  for  the  remission  of  sins." 
"  This  do  in  remembrance  of  me."  Thus 
our  Lord  established  this  sacred  feast  and 
bade  us  observe  it  in  memory  of  Him. 
And  the  church  ever  since,  through  all  the 
centuries  of  struggle,  of  division,  of  trial 
and  of  suffering,  has  never  failed  to  do 
what  He  asked.  Whether  in  the  little 
Scotch  church,  or  away  in  the  islands,  or 
in  the  gorgeously  appointed  cathedral,  or 
in  the  quiet  little  village  church;  whether 
in  this  language  or  that ;  whether  amongst 
the  barbarians  brought  to  kneel  humbly  be- 
fore Christ,  or  amongst  the  kings  and 
learned  men  of  civilized  lands,  from  time 
to  time  this  simple  thing  has  been  done — • 
bread  has  been  distributed  after  the  giving 


THE  LORD'S  SUPPER.  163 

of  thanks  in  memory  of  Christ's  body; 
broken  for  us,  and  wine  has  been  dis- 
tributed after  the  giving  of  thanks  in 
memory  of  Christ's  blood  shed  for  us. 

We  would  commend  very  strongly  a  "The Up- 
little  book  written  by  Ian  Maclaren  (John  Eoom." 
Watson)  called  "  In  the  Upper  Koom."  It 
is  one  of  the  purest  and  sweetest  of  devo- 
tional books  ever  written,  and  one  cannot 
but  feel  that  the  great  Scottish  preacher 
was  especially  inspired  when  he  wrote  it. 

Now  what  does  this  service,  which  has 
been  rendered  in  memory  of  our  Redeemer 
ever  since  He  was  on  earth,  mean  to  the 
individual  Christian  ?  First,  it  must  mean 
what  Christ  said  it  ought  to  mean,  a 
memory  of  what  Christ  has  done  for  us 
all.  We  remember  that  He  died  that  our 
sins  might  be  washed  away.  We  remember  What  the 
how  the  Cross  has  become  the  symbol,  not 
of  degradation  or  of  death,  but  of  exalta- 
tion and  of  life ;  and  our  minds,  as  often 
as  we  eat  the  bread  and  drink  of  the  cup, 
are  carried  back  to  the  great  central  fact 
of  the  world's  history — to  that  glorious 
light  which  is  drawing  irresistibly  the 
world  to  itself — the  crucifixion  on  Calvary. 
No  man  can  gaze  upon  this  wonderful 
scene  without  being  made  better.    No  man 


Supper 
means. 


164  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

can  remember  how  Christ  died  for  him 
without  rejoicing  that  his  sins  are  for- 
given, and  without  receiving  strength  to 
resist  sin  more  earnestly  in  the  future. 

Our  Lord's  Again,  this  service  proves  to  us  our 
Lord's  love  in  that  He  longs  to  be  remem- 
bered by  us.  "  This  do  in  remembrance 
of  me."  Could  anything  touch  our  hearts 
more  strongly  than  this  request  ?  The 
Lord  wanted  to  be  remembered.  As  Dr. 
Watson  says  in  the  little  book  already 
noted :  "  Remembrance  by  our  friends  is 
what  we  all  long  for."  To  be  forgotten 
is  the  greatest  agony  of  life.  And  here  we 
have  the  blessed  Master  Who  came  to  earth 
for  our  sakes,  pleading  with  us  that  we 
should  remember  Him.  When  our  memory 
is  thus  brought  to  rest  upon  Him  do  we 
not  recall  all  of  the  familiar  events  of  that 
blessed  life  ?  We  remember  the  song  of  the 
angels,  and  the  humble  birth  in  Bethlehem. 
We  remember  the  childhood's  years  in 
Nazareth  and  the  boyhood's  courage  in  the 
temple.  We  remember  the  beginning  of 
those  three  years  of  ministration  when  St. 

What  it       John  baptized  Jesus.     We  remember  the 

recalls.  .         . 

temptation  in  the  wilderness,  and  the  un- 
ceasing acts  of  mercy  and  love  which  fell 
like   jewels   from   the   hand   of  the   dear 


THE  LORD'S  SUPPER.  165 

Christ  all  through  the  years  when  He  so- 
journed amongst  men.  We  remember  His 
gracious  words  of  mercy  and  of  comfort 
and  of  peace.  "We  remember  how  He  drew 
sinners  to  Himself  and  never  repulsed 
them.  We  remember  how  He  loved  the 
birds  and  flowers  and  little  children.  We 
remember  how  He  drew  His  disciples  near 
to  Himself  and  spoke  to  them,  and  so  to 
us,  great  words  of  comfort.  We  remember 
how  at  last  He  died  and  spoke  from  the 
Cross  seven  great  words  which  have  come 
down  to  us  and  have  been  treasured  by  us 
as  the  last  words  of  the  King.  We  remem- 
ber His  rising  from  the  dead  and  His  as- 
cension into  heaven.  And  as  we  remember 
we  know  that  all  of  these  things  were  done 
for  us  and  are  being  done  for  us  to-day; 
that  the  same  dear  Lord  is  born  in  our 
hearts  even  as  He  was  born  in  Bethlehem ; 
that  the  same  dear  Lord  is  working  in  our 
lives  as  He  worked  long  ago  in  Palestine; 
that  the  same  glorious  Christ  is  healing  our 
infirmities  and  giving  us  courage;  and  we 
remember  how  His  promise  once  spoken  is 
a  promise  to  us  sure  of  fulfilment,  that 
at  last  we  shall  rise  from  the  dead  and 
enter  into  the  many  mansions  prepared 
for  us. 


come. 


166  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

~No  man  can  remember  all  these  blessed, 
holy  things — the  most  blessed  and  the  most 
holy  that  history  affords — without  being 
made  purer,  better  and  more  God-like. 
Till  He  Again,  we  remember  how  St.  Paul  says, 

(1st  Corinthians  11:  26)  "  As  often  as  ye 
eat  this  bread,  and  drink  this  cup,  ye  do 
shew  the  Lord's  death  till  he  come."  This 
must  mean  surely  that  the  Lord's  Supper 
is  a  great  act  of  faith.  That  every  time 
we  do  as  our  Lord  asked  us  to  do  in  this 
matter  we  are  signifying  our  confidence  in 
the  fulfilment  of  His  promise.  He  will 
come  again.  We  shall  see  Him  in  the 
clouds  of  heaven.  He  will  gather  us,  each 
one  of  His  loved  children,  whom  He  knows 
by  name,  unto  Himself.  He  will  call  us  to 
enter  into  the  joys  which  He  has  prepared, 
and  the  old  world  will  at  last  recognize  and 
worship  her  King.  The  Lord's  Supper 
thus  becomes  a  glorious  declaration  of  the 
fulfilment  of  all  our  hopes,  the  answer  to 
all  our  prayers.  It  is  like  lifting  up  an 
ensign  upon  the  mountains.  It  is  like 
raising  the  standard  in  the  midst  of  a  hos- 
tile and  threatening  multitude.  It  is  like 
the  glorious  shining  of  a  light  in  a  dark 
night  telling  us  that  there  is  an  end  to  our 
wanderings.    It  is  like  the  music  which  the 


THE  LORD'S  SUPPER.  167 

heart  can  hear  in  the  midst  of  all  the  earth's 
confusing  cries,  music  full  of  rich  har- 
mony coming  from  the  throne  of  God  to 
help  us  in  our  battle.  Surely  we  need 
just  such  a  declaration  as  this.  We  have 
it  in  our  prayers  when  we  pray  as  our  Lord 
bade  us,  "  Thy  kingdom  come."  We  have 
it  in  our  creed — that  old  creed  which  we 
all  accept — when  we  say,  each  for  himself, 
"  I  believe."  We  have  it  in  our  hymns 
when  we  sing  together  of  the  Kock  of  Ages 
Who  will  at  last  hide  us  in  Himself.  We 
have  it  in  our  Bible  when  we  read  those 
blessed  words,  "  Behold,  I  come  quickly." 
JNow  we  have  it  in  an  act  which  we  can  do. 
As  we  take  bread  and  wine,  for  which  we 
have  thanked  God,  and  partake  of  them,  it 
is  a  great  and  precious  declaration  of  the 
good  which  at  last  shall  be  ours. 

The  Christian  needs  then  this  dear  ob-  Meets  our 
servance,  first,  in  order  that  he  may  be 
obedient  to  the  King  Whom  he  worships 
and  Whose  name  he  bears.  The  loving 
Christ  before  he  died  asked  us  to  do  this 
in  remembrance  of  Him.  Can  we  be  loyal 
followers  unless  we  not  only  formally  obey 
but  long  to  do  this  thing  which  He  has 
asked  ?  Secondly,  the  Christian  needs  to 
observe  the  Lord's  Supper  in  order  that  he 


needs. 


168  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

may  have  brought  before  him  positively 
and  clearly  that  great  picture  of  Cal- 
vary, which  means  for  him  and  for  the 
world  salvation.  Alas,  that  in  these  mod- 
ern days  with  modern  ideas  of  religion, 
Calvary  is  being  obscured,  and  the  man 
Christ  Jesus  in  His  glorious  life  is  made 
to  shadow  the  Cross  to  which  alone  human- 
ity must  cling  for  salvation.  There  never 
was  a  time  when  the  church  needed  so 
strongly  to  hold  to  the  Lord's  Supper  as 
an  evidence  and  remembrance  of  the  death 
on  Calvary  as  to-day.  And  finally,  if  the 
Christian  would  have  a  defmiteness  in  his 
progress  he  must  know  whither  he  is  going 
as  well  as  whence  he  came.  He  must  keep 
his  eyes  fixed  on  the  future,  as  Browning 
beautifully  says :  "  Front  and  back  as 
either  should  be."  The  Lord's  Supper  is  a 
declaration  of  the  great  thing  which  is  to 
come ;  it  is  a  declaration  of  that  for  which 
the  Christian  is  struggling  and  longing  and 
praying;  it  is  the  interpretation  of  his 
missionary  effort  to  bring  all  men  to  God ; 
it  is  an  affirmation  of  the  great  love  of  his 
soul  which  in  the  midst  of  a  naughty  world 
holds  up  the  banner  of  Christ  crying: 
"  This  and  this  alone  is  drawing  me  on- 
ward and  blessing  me." 


THE  LORD'S  SUPPER.  1G9 

May  God  grant  that  even  as  through  all  E£er  to  be 
the  centuries  this  dear  service  has  been  ob- 
served, and  as,  without  doubt,  it  will  be 
observed  through  the  centuries  to  come  un- 
til the  Christ  is  once  more  in  our  midst, 
so  the  individual  Christian  may  never  fail 
to  count  it  as  one  of  the  rare  privileges  of 
his  life.  May  God  keep  us  from  neglect- 
ing it  and  from  failing  to  do  what  the 
dear  Master  asked  us  to  do  in  memory 
of  Him. 

O,  Thou  crucified  Eedeemer,  I  thank 
Thee  for  Thy  great  love  shown  by  Thy 
request  that  I  should  not  forget  Thee.  I 
thank  Thee  for  that  holy  hour  in  the  upper 
room  when  with  Thy  loved  ones  about 
Thee  Thou  didst  give  proof  of  the  salva- 
tion which  Thou  didst  come  to  bring,  and 
didst  give  promise  of  the  glory  which  shall 
at  last  cover  the  earth.  Help  me,  I  pray 
Thee,  humbly,  and  with  repentance,  but 
oh,  with  great  love  in  my  heart,  to  do  what 
Thou  hast  asked  in  remembrance  of  Thee. 
Grant  that  I  may  never  forget  Thee  in 
my  daily  life,  and  that  all  of  Thy  words 
and  works,  as  well  as  Thy  great  and  crown- 
ing sacrifice,  may  be  ever  in  my  mind. 
And  help  me,  as  I  struggle  on,  to  find  my 


170  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN, 

steps  stronger  and  my  sight  clearer  because 
they  are  fixed  upon  that  great  day  when  I 
shall  see  Thee  face  to  face.  For  Thine 
own  dear  sake.     Amen. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

SACRIFICE. 

Having  spoken  of  Christ  as  the  Centre  Character  - 
of  the  world's  history  and  light,  and  of  christen 
Dur  relationship  to  Him,  sanctified  by  His  h£e- 
relationship  to  us,  and  of  the  way  in  which 
we  ought  to  live  if  we  really  believe  in 
Him,  and  of  the  means  of  grace  which  He 
has  given  in  order  that  we  may  serve  Him 
truly,  we  come  now  to  think  of  some  of  the 
characteristics  of  the  Christian  life.  There 
are  so  many  phases  of  human  living  and 
so  many  perplexities  which  from  time  to 
time  face  us,  that  it  may  be  well  for  us  in 
a  few  particulars  to  gain  a  clear  survey  of 
the  field  in  which  we  are  engaged.  Let 
us  look,  first,  at  ourselves,  and  realize  that 
great  law  which  governs  every  man,  even  law  of 
as  it  governed  Christ  in  His  humanity,  and 
governs  the  whole  universe — the  law  of 
sacrifice.  "  God  so  loved  ....  that 
he  gave."  Those  wonderful  words  can 
never  be  forgotten  either  in  their  expres- 
171 


172  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

sion  of  divine  compassion  or  in  their  decla- 
ration of  universal  self-denial.  No  man 
can  live  unless  he  sacrifices  himself,  and 
just  in  proportion  as  his  love  seizes  upon 
his  life  does  he  enter  into  that  fulness  of 
self-denial  which  is  his  joy,  his  delight  and 
his  comfort.  We  are  here  in  this  world  not 
to  get,  but  to  give.  Even  as  the  mother 
gives  of  her  vitality  that  the  child  may  be 
nourished;  even  as  the  father  gives  of  his 
virtue  and  activity  that  the  family  may  be 
provided  for;  even  as  the  friend  gives  to 
his  friend  in  order  that  the  friend  may 
have  all  that  is  needed, — so  the  Christian 
finds  his  very  life,  not  in  the  things  which 
he  gains,  nor  in  the  things  which  he  pos- 
sesses, but  in  the  things  which  he  gives  up, 
which  he  loses,  which  he  cares  nothing  for 
in  comparison  with  his  desire  to  help  and 
bless  the  world. 
Giving  no  Sometimes  there  is  a  dread  amongst 
people  lest  too  much  be  given,  lest  the  indi- 
vidual suffer  through  the  loss  of  things  of 
which  he  denies  himself  that  others  may 
have.  I  read  the  other  day,  in  an  interest- 
ing little  book  written  by  a  physician,  of 
the  way  in  which  some  lives  draw  so 
strongly  upon  other  lives  that  they  are  like 
vampires,   sucking  the  life-blood  and  yet 


loss. 


SACRIFICE. 

never  satisfied.  That  may  be  true  in  some 
cases,  and  yet  I  am  inclined  to  think  that 
the  individual  who  really  loves  others  can 
no  more  keep  back  his  vitality,  can  no  more 
help  giving,  than  the  dear  Christ  Himself 
in  His  great  love  could  help  laying  down 
His  life  that  others  might  live.  It  is  the 
man  who,  like  his  Master,  gives  his  best, 
even  his  life,  for  others'  good,  who  knows 
what  it  really  is  to  "  follow  after  "  in  the 
steps  of  his  Lord,  and  who  gets  the  most 
satisfaction  out  of  life.  The  true  man  soon 
learns  that  there  i3  not  very  much  of  good 
in  the  things  which  he  possesses.  He  does 
not  despise  them,  he  does  not  scorn  them, 
he  does  not  even  refuse  them  when  they 
come  to  him,  but  he  finds  that  those  things 
which  enter  into  his  life  either  through  his 
own  struggle  or  through  the  generosity  of 
others  are  not  the  real  things.  It  is  when 
he  takes  strength  out  of  his  own  soul  and 
gives  it  to  another,  it  is  when  he  takes  of 
his  own  heart  and  lets  another  be  the 
stronger  for  the  affection  thus  imparted, 
yea,  it  is  when  he  looks  at  his  own  desires, 
his  longings  for  sympathy,  his  hungering 
for  words  of  kindness,  and  his  yearning  for 
rest,  and  makes  these  the  guides  in  doing 
for  others — then  it  is  that  he  enters  into 


174 


THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 


Sacrifice 
and  the 
Cross. 


Sacrifice 
not 
gloom. 


the  largeness  of  manhood,  and  grows,  un- 
consciously perhaps,  like  his  Master. 

This  law  of  sacrifice  makes  the  cross 
very  simple  in  the  common  life  of  man. 
We  often  speak  of  "  bearing  the  cross  "  in 
connection  with  the  sorrows  and  troubles 
of  life,  the  sicknesses  and  the  afflictions 
which  come  upon  us  without  our  will  and 
without  our  effort;  but  really  we  have  no 
right  to  call  these  "  crosses."  They  are 
burdens,  indeed,  which  we  must  bear 
patiently;  they  are  trials  which  we  must 
really  be  glad  to  endure  because  they  bring 
us  nearer  to  Christ,  but  they  are  in  no 
sense  crosses  such  as  was  the  Cross  of 
Christ.  For  His  cross  was  voluntarily  as- 
sumed, that  is  it  came  to  Him  because  of 
His  loving  service  for  others.  If  my 
trouble  has  come  upon  me  because  I  have 
been  trying  to  help  others ;  if  my  sorrow  is 
breaking  my  heart  because  I  have  given  of 
my  very  best  to  help  another,  then  I  can 
claim  my  cross  and  feel  that  I  am  bearing 
it  after  my  Christ.  In  other  words  sacri- 
fice must  be  voluntary,  born  out  of  love  and 
offered  with  prayer. 

Do  not  let  us  think  for  one  moment  that 
this  law  of  sacrifice  adds  any  gloom  to  life ; 
it  is  just  the  reverse.     In  common  experi- 


SACRIFICE.  175 

ence  the  man  who  gives  of  his  best  for 
others'  sakes,  even  although  he  may  feel 
the  weaker  because  of  his  denial,  is  really 
the  happier  for  it.  The  illustration  already 
given  of  the  mother  pouring  forth  her  own 
vitality  for  the  child's*  nurture  proves 
where  true  happiness  lies.  Is  there  any 
one  happier  in  the  growing  life  of  her 
child  than  the  mother?  Is  there  any  one 
more  richly  rewarded  than  the  father  as 
he  sees  the  fruit  of  his  toil  in  the  family 
well  cared  for  and  growing  in  character? 
Is  there  anything  finer  in  a  man's  life  than 
the  knowledge  that  his  friend  is  being 
deepened  and  held  in  all  noble  things  by 
his  own  effort  for  him,  even  although  he 
himself  is  left  on  his  way  in  terrible  and 
agonizing  loneliness  %  The  real  happiness 
of  life — happiness  which  endures  and 
happiness  which  is  not  like  the  laughter  of 
fools  or  the  "  crackling  of  thorns  under  a 
pot,"  but  which  thrills  through  the  whole 
being — is  the  happiness  which  comes  from 
sacrifice.  A  great  writer  has  said  that  in 
every  strong  life  there  are  shelves  upon 
which  are  laid  by  things  which  the  man 
has  put  out  of  his  life  for  the  good  of 
others — things  not  wrong  in  themselves, 
things  which  he  even  had  a  right  to  de- 


176  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

Tokens  of    rnand    blTt  things  which  expediency  bade 
virtue. 

him  lay  aside  in  order  that  he  might  more 

readily  learn  the  way  of  true  service.  It 
might  be  added  that  there  are  sacred  places 
in  the  life  of  every  man  where  there  are 
tokens,  not  so  much  of  the  things  of  which 
he  has  denied  himself  as  of  the  virtue 
which  has  gone  out  of  him  and  in  going 
has  left  glorious  scars  upon  him.  The 
wounds  which  have  been  made  by  one's 
own  hand  in  order  that  others  might  con- 
quer; the  marks  which  have  been  brought 
by  secret  conflict  for  others'  sake — these, 
after  all,  are  the  greatest  treasures  which 
at  last  will  shine  in  the  man's  heavenly 
life,  even  as  the  wounds  in  the  hands  and 
feet  of  the  Master  will  shine. 
Use  of  Let  us  now  very  simply  illustrate  how 

the  Christian  should  sacrifice  himself  for 
others'  good.  Take,  for  instance,  his  time. 
How  much  time,  he  might  well  ask  him- 
self, am  I  giving  simply  to  myself,  my 
own  pleasure,  my  profit,  my  advancement, 
and  how  much  of  my  time  am  I  giving  to 
the  good  of  others  ?  It  is  rather  startling 
when  one  honestly  considers  such  a  simple 
question  as  this,  for  he  is  pretty  sure  to 
find  that  selfishness  rather  than  sacrifice 
claims  a  large  share  of  his  days.     Or  let 


SACRIFICE.  177 

hirn  think  of  Lis  money,  and  see  how  much  Use  of 

money, 
of  that  which  he  possesses,  be  it  much  or 

little,  is  used  for  his  own  personal  profit 
and  how  much  is  used  directly  or  in- 
directly for  the  profit  of  others.  Ah,  but 
it  is  startling  indeed  when  we  face  plainly 
an  answer  to  this  question!  Take  an  in- 
stance in  another  direction.     Look  at  the  Use  of 

,  prayer, 

morning  or  evening  private  prayer  and  see 

how  much  of  that  prayer  is  given  to  sup- 
plication for  others  and  how  much  to  sup- 
plication for  one's  self.  Do  we  not  gen- 
erally pray  for  others,  if  we  pray  at  all, 
at  the  fag  end  of  our  devotions,  bringing 
them  in  as  if  they  were  a  very  unimportant 
part  of  our  prayer?  Evidently,  then, 
others  must  occupy  a  more  important  place 
in  our  time  and  thought  and  service  than 
we  ourselves,  evidently  we  must  turn  up- 
side down  our  common  way  of  living  if  we 
are  really  to  be  followers  of  the  Master. 

Again,    this    sacrifice    wants    to    come  Specific 

sacri- 

within  definite  lines;  that  is,  it  is  not  fees, 
merely  what  we  give  up  in  a  general  way 
but  what  we  are  giving  up  for  some  definite 
and  positive  person  or  purpose  that  tells. 
It  is  far  easier  to  sacrifice  one's  self  in  the 
general  enthusiasm  of  life  than  it  is  to 
give  up  even  little  things  for  the  sake  of 


178  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

some  one  person  or  some  one  object.  And 
jet  sacrifice  which  is  not  definite  loses  half 
its  flavor.  What  am  I  sacrificing  for  the 
sake  of  missions,  for  instance  ?  What  am 
I  sacrificing  for  the  sake  of  the  poor? 
What  am  I  sacrificing  for  the  sake  of  the 
sick?  Of  what  am  I  denying  myself  be- 
cause of  the  ungodly  whom  I  would  bring 
to  know  their  Father  ?  Surely  that  is  more 
telling  than  the  general  indefiniteness  of 
enthusiastic  sacrifice!  But  it  can  be 
brought  more  closely  still  to  the  life. 
What  am  I  doing  for  this  special  mission- 
ary in  his  work?  What  am  I  giving  up 
in  order  that  I  may  help  this  sick  or  poor 
man  ?  Now  the  clear  personal  relationship 
enters  in,  even  as  it  entered  into  the  life 
of  Christ  Who  died  for  each  one  of  us,  and 
so  made  a  definite  personal  sacrifice. 
Joy  of  But  we  must  hasten  to  say  a  word  about 

s£Lcrific6 

the  joy  of  sacrifice  which  enters  into  the 
life  of  one  who  lives  not  for  himself  but  for 
others.  And  first,  that  joy  comes  from  the 
deep  consciousness  that  one  thus  finds  the 
meaning  of  living.  The  man  who  denies 
himself  knows  well  enough  that  he  has 
gotten  clown  to  the  root  of  things,  that  he 
is  not  trifling  with  mere  emotions  but  that 
he  is  dealing  with  character.    And  nothing 


SACRIFICE.  179 

so  surely  satisfies  and  brings  joy  as  a 
realization  that  one  is  doing  something 
worth  while.  Secondly,  the  joy  comes  in 
seeing  the  result.  It  is  not  always  seen 
immediately.  It  may  be  a  long  while  be- 
fore it  is  seen.  Perhaps  it  will  never  be 
seen  in  this  world.  But  the  man  knows 
that  sometime  the  sight  will  come,  and  be- 
cause of  that  he  is  joyous.  He  knows  that 
the  sacrifice  he  has  made,  though  friend 
or  foe  may  not  dream  of  it,  will  one  day 
be  recognized.  He  knows  that  the  secret 
sorrow  or  the  secret  suffering  brought  by 
his  own  brave  effort  will  at  last  receive  the 
gratitude  of  the  one  for  whom  the  cross 
was  borne.  This  brings  to  him  a  great, 
rich  symphony  of  joy  which  is  beyond  all 
expression.  And  lastly,  there  comes  to 
him  that  consciousness  of  communion  with 
Christ,  of  union  with  the  great  Eternal  in 
the  daily  life  he  is  living.  The  very  sacri- 
fice which  has  become  the  desire  and  the 
offering  of  his  soul  makes  him  understand 
God's  love,  and  brings  him  into  association 
with  that  love  as  nothing  else  in  the  world 
can.     He  feels  the  thrill  of  God's  appro-  Thrill  of 

doing. 

bation;  he  understands  the  meaning  of 
Christ's  words  and  works;  the  life  around 
him  seems  transfigured,  and  his  own  strug- 


180  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

gling  career,  trying  though  it  may  be,  and 
full  of  tears,  becomes  luminous  in  the 
glorious  rays  shining  from  above.  He 
knows  as  none  other  can  know  the  meaning 
of  song.  He  knows  as  none  other  can  know 
the  strength  of  prayer.  He  knows  as  none 
other  can  know  the  peace  of  God  which 
passeth  all  understanding. 

Dear  Lord,  help  me  to  live  for  others. 
Eoot  out  from  me  that  selfishness  which  is 
the  poison  and  the  death  of  all  good.  Give 
me  a  readiness  to  do  for  others  no  matter 
what  it  may  cost  me.  Give  me  a  desire  to 
pour  out  my  own  vitality  that  others  may 
live.  Teach  me  how  to  let  virtue  go  out  of 
me  that  other  lives  may  be  strong.  And 
bring  me  ever  into  closer  communion  with 
Thine  own  dear  Self  through  this  law  of 
sacrifice.    Amen. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

CONSECKATION. 

The  sacrifice  of  which  we  spoke  in  our 
last  chapter  is  not  an  easy  thing,  but  it  be- 
comes easier  if  we  are  consecrated.  Con- 
secration means  the  giving  of  one's  self  ab- 
solutely to  the  purpose  for  which  one  was 
made.  It  comes  from  the  same  word  which 
is  translated  "  holy.''  Anything  is  holy 
which  fulfils  God's  will  concerning  it. 
The  grain  which  grows  in  the  field;  the 
sun  which  gives  life  and  light  to  the  world ; 
the  rain  which  moistens  the  earth,  are  all 
consecrated,  that  is,  they  fulfil  the  will  of 
God.  When  a  man  keeps  his  promise  to  what  con- 
another  he  is  said  to  be  loyal,  that  is  he  secration 
fulfils  his  word,  and  that  is  consecration. 
Sometimes  this  word  is  called  an  oath; 
that  is,  the  man  signs  his  name  in  the 
presence  of  a  Notary  or  a  Justice  of  the 
Peace  and  holds  up  his  hand  in  affirmation. 
In  the  courts  he  sometimes  kisses  the  Bible. 
AH  this  means  that  the  man  is  consecrated, 
he  is  sworn,  he  is  bound  to  tell  the  truth 
181 


182  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

and  to  act  the  truth,  to  do  what  he  promised 
to  do.  Now  God  has  a  will  for  every  one 
of  us,  and  just  in  proportion  to  our  loyalty 
to  that  will  and  our  effort  to  fulfil  it  are 
we  consecrated  men  and  women.  To  be 
holy  is  not  at  first  to  be  perfect  or  to  be 
sinless.  It  is  to  keep  the  eye  fixed  upon 
God,  and  the  heart  full  of  such  love  for 
Him  that  the  mind  and  the  body  will  seek 
to  do  His  will.  A  study  of  the  Bible, 
which  always  holds  a  high  ideal  before  us, 
must  convince  us  that  God  recognizes  us 
as  His  children,  and  through  Jesus  Christ 
counts  us  holy  when  we  love  Him  with  all 
Complete  our  near*s  anv^  try  to  do  His  will.  Conse- 
giving.  cration,  then,  means  a  complete  giving  to 
God  of  all  that  we  have; — body,  mind, 
soul,  life,  thoughts,  love,  associations,  work, 
friendships — everything  is  to  be  given  to 
God.  And  when  we  say  given  to  God  we 
mean  two  things.  First,  that  we  are  to 
realize  that  our  first  duty  is  to  Him  and 
that  our  first  thought  must  be  of  Him ;  and 
second  that  we  must  strive  to  use  every 
power  as  God  chooses.  Instead  of  this  be- 
ing a  life  of  slavery  it  becomes  a  life  of 
glorious  freedom.  It  is  only  slavery 
amongst  men  when  the  slaveholder  is  im- 
perfect and  faulty,  and  since  all  men  are 


CONSECRATION.  Ig3 

imperfect  and  faulty  of  course  slavery  on 
earth  is  wrong.  But  when  we  note  that 
God  is  perfect,  and  that  His  will  is  for  our 
happiness  and  our  eternal  joy,  then  to  do 
His  will  absolutely  is  not  bondage  but  is 
blessed  liberty.  St.  Paul  calls  himself  the 
"  slave  of  Jesus  Christ."  He  uses  the 
word  significantly,  for  he  means  that  he 
cannot,  must  not,  wishes  not  to  do  any- 
thing save  that  which  shall  please  God. 

Practically,  then,  what  do  we  mean  bv  a  Think  of 
consecrated  man  \  Evidently  we  mean  a 
man  who  looks  to  God  and  tries  his  best  to 
please  Him.  He  thinks  of  God  first.  He 
talks  to  God  as  to  a  friend.  He  listens  to 
God  that  he  may  hear  His  voice  above  all 
other  voices,  and  he  rejoices  in  that  glori- 
ous friendship  which  the  Almighty  has  for 
His  children.  He  goes  on  his  way  with  a 
single  purpose  and  does  all  that  he  has  to 
do  with  a  single  end  in  view.  Life  is 
simplified ;  problems,  although  they  cannot 
be  solved,  become  clear;  trouble,  although 
hard  to  bear,  because  we  are  human,  be- 
comes dear  because  it  means  something; 
our  lives  become  the  gift  of  God,  and  the 
whole  man  is  made  radiant  by  the  atmos- 
phere of  heavenly  light  in  which  he  has 
his  being. 


THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

Let  us  now  see  how  this  consecration 
touches  the  daily  living  of  the  Christian. 
First  of  all  it  holds  him  to  a  single  pur- 
pose. He  is  to  do  what  God  wishes.  He 
has  his  friends  and  he  wishes  to  please 
them.  He  has  his  work  and  he  wishes  to 
succeed  in  it.  He  has  his  ambitions  and 
he  strives  to  rise  to  their  fulfilment.  He 
loves  life  and  enters  with  avidity  into  all 
of  its  bright  opportunities  as  well  as  its 
dark  contests.  But  through  all  and  gov- 
erning all  there  is  this  one  glorious 
thought:  he  is  serving  God.  The  opinions 
of  even  his  best  friends,  the  desires  of  his 
heart  which  are  human,  the  work  which  he 
loves,  all  these  are  subservient  to  the  one 
truth  that  he  loves  God  first  and  wishes  to 
please  Him  first.  It  can  readily  be  seen 
how  this  must  oftentimes  change  one's 
method  of  living  and  oftentimes  make  one 
seem  to  others,  and  perhaps  even  to  him- 
self, foolish  and  unwise.  The  ways  of  men 
are  often  contradicted  by  the  will  of  God. 
Even  things  which  seem  good  in  the  eyes 
of  men  are  oftentimes  evil  in  the  eyes  of 
our  Christ.  But  knowing  that  the  Infinite 
can  never  make  mistakes,  and  in  glorious 
loyalty  to  Him,  the  man  goes  on,  disre- 
garding  criticism,    disregarding   even   his 


CONSECRATION.  185 

own  apparent  temporal  welfare,  disregard- 
ing his  own  heart's  longings,  if  there  is  a 
clash  between  any  of  these  and  God's  will. 

In  the  second  place  this  consecration  Fills  the 
touches  the  whole  of  life.  We  shall  speak  life< 
in  our  succeeding  chapters  about  the  con- 
secration of  body,  mind  and  soul,  but  let  us 
see  now  how  wonderfully  this  holiness  to 
which  God  calls  us  exalts  the  whole  being 
and  makes  it  a  part  of  God's  universe. 
God  cares  for  my  every  act  no  matter  how 
small  it  may  be.  God  cares  for  my  single 
words  no  matter  how  trivial  they  may  seem 
in  my  sight.  God  cares  for  every  moment 
of  my  life,  with  the  occupation  which  fills 
it;  nothing  is  unimportant.  That  which 
oftentimes  causes  us  to  fail  is  a  false  dis- 
crimination between  things,  as  we  say,  im- 
portant and  unimportant.  The  man  thinks 
it  makes  very  little  difference  what  he 
wears  or  how  he  eats  so  long  as  he  is 
honest,  but  this  true  consecration  tells  him 
that  God  is  interested  in  what  he  wears 
and  how  he  eats  even  as  He  is  interested 
in  his  greatest  thoughts.  The  woman  calls 
many  of  her  daily  duties  drudgeries,  and 
while  she  does  them  faithfully  she  esteems 
them  simply  as  necessities  and  of  no  es- 
pecial value  compared  with  fine  thoughts, 


186  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

Common  great  deeds  and  noble  aspirations.  But 
God  looks  upon  that  which  she  calls  drudg- 
ery as  just  as  important  as  her  aspirations 
and  actions.  George  Herbert  expressed  the 
truth  finely  when  he  said :  "  Who  sweeps 
a  room  as  in  Thy  sight  makes  that  and  the 
action  fine."  We  can  have  no  difficulty  in 
proving  all  this  when  we  remember  how 
God  in  nature  cares  for  the  very  simplest 
things — the  color  of  the  flower,  the  habits 
of  the  insect,  the  tint  of  the  sky.  Our  Lord 
Himself  speaks  of  God's  noting  the  spar- 
row's fall.  All  these  truths  are  parables 
to  show  us  that  God  counts  every  single 
thing  in  connection  with  our  life  as  im- 
portant. 

Mother  The  love  of  a  true  mother  for  her  child 

child  gives  us  another  illustration.  Nothing  in 
that  little  child's  life  is  without  significance 
to  her — the  color  of  its  eyes,  the  breathing, 
the  beating  of  the  heart,  the  little  ribbons 
which  adorn  its  dress — every  single  little 
trifle  is  of  great  importance  to  her,  not 
only  because  she  loves  the  child  but  because 
she  has  a  consciousness,  hard  to  explain, 
that  each  one  of  these  things  has  an  in- 
fluence or  may  have  an  influence  upon  the 
child's  nature  and  life.  It  is  when  a 
man  rises  to  the  bigness  of  living  that  he 


CONSECRATION.  187 

finds  trifles  disappear.  Everything  is  big  Sanctifies 
because  he  looks  at  everything  in  a  big 
way,  that  is,  in  God's  way.  I  remember, 
when  a  boy,  seeing  my  uncle  put  on  his 
coat.  It  was  rather  a  threadbare  coat  and 
there  was  nothing  elegant  about  it,  but  my 
uncle  had  a  way  of  putting  it  on  which 
made  it  appear  in  my  boyish  eyes  like  a 
kingly  robe.  I  think  that  is  the  way  in 
which  the  man  who  has  caught  sight  of 
God  and  knows  God's  relationship  to  him 
looks  upon  everything  he  does ;  little  things 
become  big  because  he  does  them  in  a  big 
way;  duties  become  privileges,  and  the 
light  of  the  divine  will  touches  and  trans- 
figures every  single  part  of  his  life. 

Again,  let  it  be  noticed  how  wonder-  Brings 
fully  this  consecration  brings  harmony  into  mony> 
life.  If  all  that  I  do  is  of  importance,  then 
everything  has  its  place  and  life  becomes 
a  splendid  mosaic  to  be  completed  by  and 
by  so  that  I  can  see  it  in  all  its  glory.  Any 
one  who  has  visited  the  Gobelin  tapestry 
factory  in  Paris  will  remember  how  con- 
fusing the  threads  look  as  the  workers 
weave  them  in  and  out.  The  wrong  side 
of  the  tapestry  is  a  mingling  of  varied 
colored  threads  which  conveys  no  meaning 
or  suggestion  of  meaning.     But  when  the 


THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

observer  passes  to  the  right  side  then  he 
marks  the  wonderful  picture  which  the 
artist  workers  are  making,  and  he  knows 
how  every  single  thread  has  had  a  share  in 
the  beauty  before  him.  So  it  is  with  life. 
We  are  weavers.  Every  single  thing  we 
touch  has  to  do  with  the  glorious  comple- 
tion which  we  shall  view  at  last  in  God's 
home.  All  are  to  be  brought  together,  and 
the  imperfection  of  one  will  mar  the  whole. 
It  is  said  that  in  the  buried  cities  which 
have  been  excavated  in  the  Far  East  the 
carelessness  of  the  workmen  who  built  cen- 
turies ago  can  be  detected  in  the  walls  of 
the  houses.  The  best  work  has  endured  the 
longest  and  shows  the  care  of  the  one  who 
constructed  it.  So,  we  must  remember,  it 
is  with  our  lives.  The  consecrated  life 
counts  everything  as  of  importance  because 
of  the  great  whole  of  which  it  is  to  form  a 
part. 

And  yet  once  more,  we  want  to  remem- 
ber that  holiness  brings  a  joyous  power  of 
its  own  to  every  little  action  of  our  lives. 
It  may  be  a  small  thing  to  write  a  letter, 
but  if  that  letter  is  really  a  message  from 
my  heart  it  has  a  touch  of  divinity  in  it. 
It  may  be  a  small  thing  to  read  a  book,  but 
if   that   book   makes   me   either  better   or 


CONSECRATION.  189 

poorer  then  the  importance  is  manifest. 
How  splendid  it  is  to  realize  that  we  are 
dealing  constantly  with  things  which  are 
holy  or  may  be  made  holy  if  they  are  cared 
for  aright!  How  it  exalts  and  makes  of 
power  everything  in  the  daily  life !  I  can 
go  forth  joyously  to  do  my  tasks  and  to 
hear  my  burdens  and  to  meet  my  friends 
or  my  enemies  if  I  know  that  I  am  tread- 
ing on  holy  ground.  The  Almighty  is  look- 
ing down  upon  me  with  great  love  and 
tenderness,  and  He  placed  all  these  oppor- 
tunities in  my  hand  as  jewels,  and  bids  me 
value  them  and  love  them  and  rejoice  in 
the  handling  of  them. 

And  finally,  this  great  truth  of  consecra-  Makes 
tion  makes  us  realize  what  might  be  called     tJling 
the  sacramental  character  of  everything.     holy- 
A  sacrament  is  an  outward  sign  of  an  in- 
ward grace.     Every   action  has   its   mes- 
sage.    When  I  awake  in  the  morning  I 
at  once  remember  the  glorious  resurrection 
when  I  shall  arise  to  eternal  life.    When  I 
take   my   morning  bath   there   comes   the 
significant  truth  that  I  am  only  clean  when 
I    am   washed   in   the   precious   blood   of 
Christ.    As  I  put  on  my  clothing  I  remem- 
ber that   my   nakedness   is   only   covered 
when  I  place  upon  me  the  garments  of 


190  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

Christ's  righteousness.  As  I  eat  my  break- 
fast I  remember  that  the  true  nourishment 
both  for  the  body  and  for  the  soul  comes 
from  God.  And  so  on,  all  through  the 
day,  everything  has  a  beautiful  message  for 
me  and  gains  value  in  my  eyes  because  of 
that  message.  It  is  a  wonderful  satisfac- 
tion to  study  everything  and  find  its  inner 
meaning.  When  Christ  spoke  to  His  dis- 
ciples in  parables  He  meant  a  great  deal 
more,  I  think,  than  is  generally  under- 
stood. He  wanted  to  teach  them,  and  us 
through  them,  to  look  beneath  the  surface 
in  all  things  and  find  the  riches  hidden 
there.  Every  trouble  has  some  word  for 
me  of  great  import.  Every  joy  has  some 
message,  deeper  than  the  surface,  to  bring 
to  me.  This  is  surely  a  transfiguration  of 
the  whole  life,  and  makes  all  things  won- 
derfully rich. 

This  truth  may  be  well  summed  up  in 
those  beautiful  words  of  Frances  Ridley 
Havergal  : 

Consecra-  "  Take  my  life,  and  let  it  be 


tion 
hymn. 


Consecrated,  Lord,  to  Thee. 

Take  my  moments  and  my  days ; 
Let  them  flow  in  ceaseless  praise. 

Take  my  hands,  and  let  them  move 
At  the  impulse  of  Thy  love. 


CONSECRATION.  191 

Take  my  feet,  and  let  them  be 
Swift  and  ■  beautiful '  for  Thee. 

Take  my  voice,  and  let  me  sing 
Always,  only,  for  my  King. 

Take  my  lips,  and  let  them  be 
Filled  with  messages  from  Thee. 

Take  my  silver  and  my  gold ; 
Not  a  mite  would  I  withhold. 

Take  my  intellect,  and  use 

Every  power  as  Thou  shalt  choose. 

Take  my  will,  and  make  it  Thine; 
It  shall  be  no  longer  mine. 

Take  my  heart,  it  is  Thine  own; 
It  shall  be  Thy  royal  throne. 

Take  my  love ;  my  Lord,  I  pour 
At  Thy  feet  its  treasure-store. 

Take  myself,  and  I  will  be 
Ever,  only,  all  for  Thee." 

Dear  Lord,  I  thank  Thee  for  this  blessed 
truth  of  consecration.  Truly  I  am  Thine, 
not  only  by  Thy  creation  and  Thy  preser- 
vation but  by  the  way  in  which  Thou  hast 
given  me  all  things,  and  hast  a  plan  by 
which  I  am  to  live.  Help  me,  I  beseech  of 
Thee,  to  look  upon  my  life  as  holy.  Let 
me  try  to  live  in  accord  with  Thy  will. 
May  my  first  thought  be  of  Thee,   and 


192  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

help  me  to  remember  that  everything, 
whether  of  joy  or  of  sorrow,  which  may 
come  to  me  is  sacred  because  it  is  meant  to 
make  me  more  like  Thee  in  a  consecrated 
life.    For  Thine  own  dear  sake.    Amen. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

THE    BODY. 

When  God  made  man  He  made  him  in 
His  own  image  and  after  His  own  likeness. 
We  cannot  fathom  the  full  meaning  of 
those  words,  but  we  know  that  they  must 
mean  this,  that  man  was  not  made  as  the 
beasts  of  the  earth  were  made,  but  that  he 
was  fashioned  after  a  heavenly  manner. 
When  we  remember  that  when  God  came 
to  this  earth  He  took  upon  Himself  the 
likeness  of  men,  we  are  impressed  with  the 
fact  that  the  body  must  be  holy.  If  Christ 
had  a  body  like  mine,  only  perfect,  then  it 
must  be  that  He  considered  the  body  a 
holy  thing.  When  I  remember  that  the  Body  a 
Holy  Spirit  has  come  and  dwells  within  temPe* 
me,  making  my  body  His  sanctuary,  "  the 
temple  of  the  Holy  Ghost,"  then  again  I 
am  impressed  with  the  sacredness  of  this 
body.  When  I  remember  that  Christ  after 
His  resurrection  had  the  same  body,  only 
glorified,  which  was  His  when  He  died; 
193 


194  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

that  He  ate  and  drank  with  His  disciples; 
that  the  wounds  in  hands  and  feet  and 
side  were  visible,  then  again  I  am  im- 
pressed with  the  fact  that  the  risen  body 
must  be  identified  with  the  human  body. 
And  finally,  when  I  remember  that  Jesus 
took  that  glorified  human  body  up  into 
Heaven  with  Him,  then  I  know  that  this 
body  of  mine,  which  is  at  last  to  be  ex- 
alted, through  the  mercy  of  Christ,  to  the 
home  which  God  has  prepared  for  me, 
must  be  a  holy  thing. 
Care  of  I  think  it  is  only  comparatively  of  late 

years  that  we  have  begun  to  realize  this. 
Even  the  early  Christians  looked  upon  the 
body  as  vile,  and  thought  only  of  the  spirit 
of  man.  There  were  not  wanting  amongst 
the  early  philosophers  those  who  scorned 
the  body  and  counted  it  as  of  no  importance 
whatsoever.  To  starve  it,  to  mutilate  it, 
to  beat  it  seemed  to  be  not  only  natural  but 
a  duty,  to  express  the  scorn  for  that  which 
seemed  to  be  full  of  passion  and  strong  to 
lead  the  mind  and  spirit  astray.  As  a  re- 
sult of  all  this  false  thinking  there. was  not 
very  much  progress  even  amongst  Christian 
people  in  the  way  of  human  physical  de- 
velopment. Now  we  know  that  God  wants 
us  to  worship  Him  with  all  of  our  strength 


THE  BODY.  195 

as  well  as  with  mind  and  soul.  We  know 
that  we  are  to  cultivate  the  body  and  make 
it  strong,  beautiful,  pure,  a  fit  temple  for 
the  Holy  Ghost,  because  if  we  are  redeemed 
it  will  live  forever.  One  cannot  but  re- 
joice in  the  modern  athletics  which  tend  to 
a  development  of  all  that  is  good  and  true 
in  the  physical  nature.  Not  only  have 
athletics  done  much  to  make  men  cleaner 
in  mind  and  purer  in  life,  but  they  have 
accented  that  self-respect  which  can  only 
be  felt  when  a  man  knows  that  every  part 
of  him  is  sacred.  Of  course  athletics  may 
be  carried  to  an  extreme  and  the  body  in- 
jured rather  than  helped,  but  in  spite  of 
this  we  are  bound  to  remember  that  a  sound 
body  is  a  part  of  God's  will  for  men. 

This  respect  for  the  body  because  it  is  D^elop 
to  live  forever,  will  have  a  great  effect  body, 
upon  the  ordinary  life  of  every  day.  To 
keep  the  body  clean,  to  walk  as  one  should, 
to  eat  healthy  food,  to  sleep  sufficiently — 
all  these  things  are  a  part  of  Christianity. 
The  man  who  neglects  his  body  sins  against 
the  temple  of  God.  The  work  of  the  phy- 
sician as  well  as  of  the  physical  trainer  is 
a  high  one.  He  is  to  guard  the  body,  to 
make  it  well  when  it  is  ill,  to  understand 
all  of  its  parts,  to  measure  the  importance 


196  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

t 
of  each  part,  and  to  develop  the  weaker 
parts  so  that  they  may  perform  their  share 
in  harmony  with  the  rest.  It  is  splendid 
to  think  that  the  work  of  a  physician  is 
not  merely  to  cure  when  there  is  sickness  or 
to  heal  when  there  are  wounds,  hut  that  it 
is  to  anticipate  and  prevent,  so  that  the 
body  may  be  able  to  perform  the  duties 
entrusted  to  it. 
The  body  This  same  truth  makes  us  realize  that 
ship.  we  are  to  worship  God  with  our  bodies  as 
well  as  with  our  minds  and  souls.  It  is 
not  meant  that  we  should  unceasingly  pros- 
trate ourselves  before  an  invisible  God,  or 
that  He  demands  certain  postures  when  we 
worship  Him,  although  these  things  are 
not  without  their  significance ;  but  it  means 
that  we  are  to  feel,  when  we  walk  or  sit  or 
exercise,  that  our  bodies  are  given  to  us  by 
the  Almighty,  and  that  we  are  made  in 
His  image,  and  that  therefore  we  can  wor- 
ship Him  with  our  bodies,  that  is,  we  can 
use  them  for  His  glory  and  cultivate  them 
for  His  sake.  [Nothing  is  more  inspiring 
than  this  thought  of  the  body's  use  in  the 
world  as  a  holy  thing.  The  man  who  goes 
to  his  business  with  head  down  and  feet 
heavy  not  only  misses  the  healthy  elasticity 
of  life  but  he  is  forgetting  that  God  calls 


mind. 


THE  BODY.  197 

for  his  body  to  worship  Him.  Why  should 
he  not,  no  matter  how  heavy  the  burdens 
may  be  which  rest  upon  him,  hold  up  his 
head,  and  walk  with  elastic  step,  and 
breathe  deep  breaths  because  he  feels  the 
blessedness  of  being  alive,  and  knows,  as 
the  blood  thrills  through  his  veins,  that  he 
is  to  serve  God  with  the  best  member  that 
he  has?  And  side  by  side  with  this  wor- 
ship comes  the  service  which  the  body  ren- 
ders. The  mind  can  do  little  save  as  the 
body  works  with  it.  "  A  sound  mind  in  a  Sound 
sound  body  "  is  not  only  a  philosophical 
but  a  religious  expression,  and  a  man  wants 
to  hold  his  body  in  harmony  with  the  rest 
of  his  being;  he  wants  to  bring  it  into 
strong  and  useful  service ;  he  wants  to  make 
it  fulfil  its  part  in  the  world,  because  he 
knows  it  has  a  part  which  God  has  given  it 
to  fulfil;  and  knowing,  he  works,  and 
works  hard,  because  he  is  not  afraid  of 
wearing  himself  out, — he  knows  that  hard 
work  never  kills;  it  is  only  worry  that 
hastens  dissolution.  He  does  not  suffer  his 
mind  for  one  instant  to  disregard  the 
body's  calls,  nor  does  he  feel,  as  he  kneels 
before  his  King  night  and  morning,  that  it 
is  only  his  soul  which  God  cares  for.  He 
prays  for  strength,  he  prays  for  peaceful 


198  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

sleep,  he  prays  for  health,  and  he  rises  from 
his  knees  with  a  new  consciousness  of  the 
power  of  the  great  Physician. 

Sin  becomes  peculiarly  horrible  when  we 
recognize  this  holiness  of  the  body,  particu- 
larly those  sins  which  touch  the  life  and 
health  of  the  physical  system.  Intemper- 
ance, impurity  and  a  host  of  other  evils  are 
enemies  which  the  true  Christian  fights 
because  they  are  sure  to  weaken  the  temple 
Sin,  enemy  of  God  if  they  are  indulged.  Sin  becomes 
0  y*  just  as  much  a  positive  enemy  as  if  he  saw 
it  visibly  running  at  him  and  trying  to 
kill  him.  Therefore  he  hates  it ;  therefore 
he  guards  against  its  attacks,  not  merely 
defensively  but  offensively.  He  goes  out 
to  try  and  weaken  the  power  of  sin  in  the 
world.  He  holds  up  its  deadly  character 
before  men  so  that  they  may  see  it.  He 
fights  against  the  business  of  bad  men 
which  tends  to  destroy  rather  than  to  help 
humanity.  He  knows  that  anything  which 
makes  the  body  less  capable  of  doing  its 
work  is  wrong.  This  ought  to  simplify 
one's  idea  of  sin.  Anything  which  hurts 
me  or  makes  me  less  capable  of  doing  my 
work,  or  which  in  any  way  weakens  or 
makes  false  any  part  of  my  physical  sys- 
tem, must  be  wrong.     How  can  one  bear 


THE  BODY.  199 

foolishly  to  adorn  himself?  How  can  one 
think  of  changing  the  natural  features 
which  God  has  given  ?  How  can  he  add  to 
that  which  God  has  made  so  simply  beauti- 
ful, when  once  he  grasps  the  idea  of  the 
body's  holiness '{  Foolish  dress,  and  foolish 
eating  and  drinking,  and  foolish  habits  be- 
come not  merely  indiscretions  but  farces; 
they  become  absolute  shames  because  they 
cast  dishonor  upon  that  which  God  has 
made  in  His  image.  O,  for  a  realization 
of  this  so  that  our  lives  might  be  healthy 
and  the  face  might  be  bright  and  the  eyes 
clear!  O,  for  that  true  adornment  of  a 
meek  and  quiet  spirit  rather  than  that 
foolish  and  wicked  imitation  of  a  false 
ideal  which  is  both  ridiculous  and  hideous ! 

And  now  one  word  more  in  closing.  Love  tin 
Should  a  man  love  his  body,  it  is  asked  ? 
And  the  answer  is  most  decidedly,  yes.  I 
recognize  my  body's  weaknesses.  I  know 
how  prone  it  is  to  sin.  I  know  how  im- 
perfect it  is  because  of  the  long  struggles 
of  humanity  and  because  of  my  own  im- 
perfections in  living.  But  oh,  this  body 
goes  with  me  all  through  my  earthly  strug- 
gle; it  has  its  wounds  and  its  scars  as  the 
result  of  my  contest ;  its  eyes  and  ears  have 
seen  and  heard  those  things  which  have 


2      body. 


200  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

entered  into  my  experience ;  its  month  and 
hands  and  feet  have  had  much  to  do  with 
the  building  of  my  character;  it  is  a  part 
of  me,  and  how  can  I  help  loving  it  ?  It  is 
not  a  foolish  love  which  tends  to  weaken 
through  adulation.  It  is  not  a  love  which 
makes  me  forget  duty  or  courage ;  but  it  is 
a  love  which  makes  me  know,  even  as  the 
truth  has  been  revealed  to  me,  that  when 
I  awake  after  His  likeness  I  shall  be  satis- 
fied. This  old  body  of  mine  glorified  by 
the  grace  of  God  will  live  forever!  My 
friends  will  know  it,  even  as  I  shall  know 
them  and  their  bodies.  My  heavenly  life, 
as  I  sing  the  song  of  Moses  as  well  as  the 
song  of  the  Lamb,  will  tell  the  story  of  the 
old  battles  in  which  my  body  had  a  part. 
And  even  as,  when  we  come  to  that  land, 
our  eyes  will  instinctively  look  for  the 
wounds  in  the  body  of  the  blessed  Ee- 
deemer,  so  the  little  wounds  and  scars 
which  have  come  to  our  bodies  in  our 
earthly  contest  for  the  King  will,  in  the 
Master's  eyes,  prove  our  fidelity,  and  re- 
ceive His  loving  gaze. 

Dear  Lord,  I  thank  Thee  for  the  glory 
which  Thou  hast  given  me  in  making  me  in 
Thine    own    image.      I    thank    Thee,    O 


THE  BODY.  201 

Christ,  that  Thou  didst  take  upon  Thyself 
when  Thou  earnest  to  earth  a  body  like  un- 
to mine  own,  and  that  Thou  hast  exalted  it, 
glorified,  into  Thine  own  Kingdom.  Let 
me,  I  pray  Thee,  realize  the  sacredness  of 
my  body.  Let  me  never  forget  that  it  is 
the  temple  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  Let  me 
never  forget  that  it  is  to  rise  again.  Help 
me  to  use  it  reverently,  and  to  keep  it  for 
Thee;  and  at  last,  O  Saviour,  redeem  it 
and  bring  it  to  that  home  where  its  weak- 
nesses shall  be  removed  and  it  shall  be 
glorified  forever.     Amen. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

THE  MIND. 

No  wise  men  have  ever  been  able  to  draw 
a  distinct  line  between  the  parts  of  man's 
being,  nor  has  any  wisdom  yet  explained 
the  way  in  which  the  mind  works.  We 
commonly  speak  of  it  as  existing  in  the 
brain,  and  so  the  head  of  man  is  counted 
as  the  highest  part  of  him,  not  only  because 
of  its  location  but  because  of  its  character. 
But  we  do  know  that  the  mind  of  man  dif- 
ferentiates him  from  the  brute.  If  there 
is  any  kind  of  thought  amongst  animals  it 
is  what  we  call  instinct  rather  than  reason. 
Man  alone  can  reason,  and  thought  with 
him  is  an  endowment  from  the  Infinite 
One,  Who  not  only  breathed  into  man  at 
his  creation  the  breath  of  life,  but  made 
him  a  living  soul. 
Our  How    can    we    glorify    God    with    our 

God.         minds?     Some  people,  although  not  very 
many  in  these  days,  imagine  that  the  mind 
is  constantly  warring  against  the   spirit, 
202 


THE  MIND.  203 

that  reason  is  contrary  to  faith,  and  that 
the  things  which  the  mind  deals  with  are 
so  far  removed  from  the  common  life  in 
many  particulars  that  they  are  useless.  It 
is  when  we  remember  that  God  wishes  us 
to  love  Him  with  our  minds  that  we  realize 
the  sacredness  of  thought.  Thought  begins 
when  we  are  very  little,  and  when  developed 
aright  becomes  a  wonderful  part  of  our 
human  experience.  It  may,  indeed,  lead 
us  astray;  it  may,  indeed,  put  itself  in 
hostility  against  those  things  which  God 
has  revealed  and  yet  which  we  cannot  com- 
prehend; it  may  exalt  itself  and  declare 
that  it  will  accept  nothing  save  that  which 
it  can  understand;  but  in  spite  of  these 
faults  the  mind  stands  as  the  medium 
through  which  God  speaks  to  us,  and  by 
which  we  are  to  do  His  will  and  fulfil  the 
purpose  for  which  He  created  us. 

We  must  not,  though  it  is  a  temptation,  Mind  in 
consider  the  mind  in  any  philosophical  mony. 
fashion  just  now.  This  has  been  done 
and  well  done  in  many  books.  What  we 
want  to  do  is  to  see  very  simply  how  the 
Christian  man  is  to  use  his  mind  as  God 
wants  him  to  use  it.  And  the  very  first 
rule  which  must  assert  itself  is  that  the 
mind  is  to  hold  itself  in  harmony  with  the 


THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

other  parts  of  the  being.  As  soon  as  it 
exalts  itself,  and  thinks  itself  superior  to 
the  body  or  the  spirit,  then  it  fails  to  fulfil 
its  purpose.  As  soon  as  it  wanders  away 
into  realms  which  are  not  intended  for  it, 
then  again  it  fails  of  its  purpose.  As  soon 
as  it  lauds  itself  over  the  body  or  the  soul 
and  claims  not  only  superiority  but  su- 
preme rule,  then  again  the  mind  is  usurp- 
ing a  place  which  does  not  belong  to  it. 
We  are  to  think  in  order  that  we  may  do. 
We  are  to  use  our  minds  in  order  to  under- 
stand all  of  the  infinite  truth  which  God 
reveals  to  us  as  fast  as  we  are  capable  of 
receiving  it;  but  we  are  always  to  make 
our  minds  work  in  harmony  with  that  daily 
living  and  that  love  for  God  which  cannot 
be,  and  must  not  be,  disregarded. 

Again,  we  are  to  remember  that  the 
mind,  as  well  as  the  body  and  soul,  is  to  be 
cultivated.  It  is  the  duty  of  every  Chris- 
tian to  study,  and  he  must  bear  in  mind 
that  this  study  should  always  be  for  a  cer- 
tain purpose,  namely,  to  make  his  whole 
life  more  useful.  Here  we  touch  the  great 
question  of  education,  and  it  is  a  most  im- 
portant question.  There  are  many  ways 
in  which  education  is  employed  amongst 
men.     There  are  many  lines  upon  which 


THE  MIND.  205 

it  moves.  But  the  simple  truth  we  should 
remember  is,  that  those  things  which  most 
help  a  man  to  live  usefully  are  the  things 
which  the  mind  ought  to  be  called  upon  to 
grasp.  It  is  all  very  well  as  a  recreation 
for  a  man  to  study  curious  things,  but  if  ho 
is  going  to  do  his  work  as  it  ought  to  be 
done  he  wants  to  have  well  laid  the  founda- 
tion principles  so  that  he  may  erect  a  good 
superstructure.  The  A  B  C  of  education, 
— reading,  spelling,  writing  and  arithmetic, 
are  as  much  a  Christian  duty  as  praying 
and  resisting  temptation.  Of  course  there 
are  cases  where  these  elements  of  educa- 
tion cannot  be  early  or  easily  acquired,  but 
as  soon  as  the  Christian  man  knows  the 
meaning  of  his  life  he  is  bound  to  culti- 
vate his  mind  in  such  a  way  that  it  may 
make  him  the  true  and  useful  servant  of 
God  in  the  world. 

There  are  enemies  warring  against  the  Mental 
mind  which  are  a  part  of  it  and  hard  to  con- 
trol. The  thoughts  prominently  occupy, 
or  may  occupy,  this  position.  It  is  very 
difficult  to  control  our  thoughts.  The 
Psalmist  prays  again  and  again, — "  Ex- 
amine my  thoughts."*  When  the  hand 
came  and  wrote  upon  the  wall  Belshazzar, 

*  Ps.  139:  23— Psalter  version. 


206  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

we  are  told,  was  troubled  by  his  thoughts. 
In  a  moment  my  mind  may  fly  all  over 
the  world;  it  may  sink  into  dark  places 
where  all  is  vile,  or  it  may  leap  to  heaven 
and  grasp  the  glory  of  God.  It  is  won- 
derful and  startling  how  easily  the  thoughts 
can  move  and  what  an  effect  upon  the  life 
they  may  have.  The  Christian,  then,  tries 
to  control  his  thoughts.  If  he  finds  them 
going  astray  he  brings  them  back.  If  he 
finds  them  leading  him  into  paths  which 
are  dark,  or  into  the  puzzling  ways  of 
doubt,  or  holding  him  in  foolish  places 
when  he  ought  to  be  pursuing  useful  occu- 
pations, he  must  call  them  in  and  make 
them  obey  him.  Education  and  the 
thoughts  of  man  are  closely  allied,  for  an 
important  part  of  early  education  is  the 
teaching  of  mastery  in  connection  with 
thinking.  The  mind  can  readily  be  dis- 
ciplined, and  habit  can  control  it  if  only 
the  right  habit  is  enforced.  Wild  thinking 
as  well  as  wild  speaking  can  work  untold 
damage  in  the  world.  Many  a  man  who 
in  mature  years  finds  his  thoughts  going 
into  unworthy  channels  realizes  how  his 
early  education  was  neglected,  and  many 
a  man  whose  thoughts  lead  him  into  the 
mazes  of  doubt  learns  too  late  that  his  early 


THE  MIND.  207 

education  has  not  taught  him  so  to  govern 
his  thoughts  that  he  should  be  led  into 
permanent  ways  and  into  strong  faith. 

In  speaking  of  the  mind  we  must  re-  Discrimi- 

.  .  nate 

member  that  reading  has  a  very  large  in-  reading, 
fiuence  upon  thoughts  as  well  as  upon  ac- 
tion. We  are  living  in  days  when  liter- 
ature is  very  abundant.  The  daily  paper, 
the  weekly  or  monthly  magazine,  and 
the  innumerable  books  issued  from  the 
press  form  an  embarrassment  of  riches 
which  it  is  not  easy  for  a  man  to  control. 
We  ought  to  have  a  censorship  which  should 
warn  us,  at  least,  of  things  evil,  even  if 
it  could  not  always  bring  us  to  things 
positively  good.  The  way  in  which  the 
minds  of  young  people  are  poisoned  by 
bad  books,  and  the  way  bad  plays  are  put 
upon  the  stage  is  something  to  make  one 
pause.  The  Christian  sometimes,  in  spite 
of  himself,  is  led,  through  reading,  to  deny 
his  high  calling.  He  can  only  pray  to 
God  to  keep  him,  and  then  do  his  best  to 
avoid  those  things  which  can  hurt.  But  it 
must  be  remembered  that  our  temptation 
lies  very  strongly  to-day  in  the  direction 
of  harmful  reading;  and  it  is  not  only 
novels  or  stories  to  which  we  refer,  but 
books  which  tend  to  undermine  the  faith. 


208  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

I  have  known  good  Christian  people,  led 
away  by  false  advice,  to  read  books  written 
by  enemies,  and  striking  directly  at  the 
Christian  faith,  and  yet  at  the  same  time 
to  know  little  about  the  splendid  books 
written  for  the  building  up  of  the  faith. 
The  natural  curiosity  of  an  intelligent  man 
or  woman  may  sometimes  lead  to  a  desire 
to  read  books  which  have  excited  some  in- 
terest, and  sometimes  ignorance  leads  peo- 
ple far  astray,  I  remember  once  meeting 
a  young  college  woman  who  was  to  teach  a 
Bible  class;  she  asked  me  to  recommend 
to  her  some  book  which  would  help  her, 
and  with  a  wonderfully  naive  expression 
she  said :  "  I  have  been  reading  Renan 
and  Strauss  thinking  they  would  help  me." 
Poor  child,  how  could  she  think  that  she 
could  be  fitted  to  teach  the  truth  of  Jesus 
Christ  by  reading  the  books  of  men  who  did 
not  believe  in  Him !  There  are  many 
books  written  to-day  in  connection  with 
religion,  bearing  upon  the  higher  criticism 
and  upon  the  forms  and  dogmas  of  theology, 
which  it  is  dangerous  for  the  ordinary 
Christian  to  peruse.  We  throw  out  this 
caution  here  in  order  that  there  may  be 
exercised  amongst  us  that  wisdom  which 
shall  use  the  experience  of  others,  and  not 


THE  MIND.  209 

hesitate  to  look  for  guidance  to  men  who 
can  be  trusted. 

But  we  must,  in  closing,  say  a  few  words  Onmedita* 
about  the  positive  use  of  the  mind  in  deal- 
ing with  holy  things ;  and  the  first  use  is 
meditation.  We  want  to  think,  as  the 
Holy  Spirit  gives  us  power,  more  and 
more  about  the  truths  of  God  as  found  in 
the  Bible.  We  want  to  meditate  upon  the 
Word  of  God,  that  is,  to  use  our  minds  so 
that  we  may  draw  from  that  Word  the 
riches  which  God  has  hidden,  and  hidden 
not  because  He  does  not  want  us  to  find 
them  or  because  He  wants  to  puzzle  us,  but 
because  He  knows  that  it  is  through  seek- 
ing that  our  appreciation  of  good  things 
must  come.  Meditation  is  an  important 
part  of  the  Christian  life. 

Again,  there  must  be  that  keen  think-  On  duty, 
ing  in  connection  with  duty  which  shall 
enable  us  to  know  what  things  we  ought  to 
do.  If  the  mind  is  used  as  God  bids  us 
use  it,  the  Christian  will  soon  be  able  to 
distinguish  between  things  good  and  evil, 
and  to  see  with  clearness  the  way  in  which 
God  would  have  him  walk.  It  is  dallying 
with  duty  and  failing  to  obey  that  bring 
confusion  to  us  even  as  they  brought 
confusion  to  Balaam  in  the  Old  Testament 


210  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

story.  Some  persons  think  more  quickly 
than  others  and  decide  more  quickly;  but 
every  Christian  if  he  trains  his  mind  aright 
can  think  in  such  a  way  as  to  bring  his 
life  into  the  path  which  God  wishes  him 
to  pursue. 
Sensible  And    finally   there   must   be    that    con- 

la™  "  secutive  and  steady  thought  which  shall 
keep  the  Christian  from  day-dreaming. 
There  is  a  great  deal  of  thinking  which  is 
not  only  useless  but  harmful  because  we  let 
the  mind  wander  in  all  sorts  of  directions 
and  do  not  keep  it  in  a  steady  channel. 
There  are  times,  of  course,  when  the  mind 
needs  relaxation,  and  then  we  can  let  it  go 
provided  it  does  not  wander  in  dark  places ; 
but  in  the  regular  life  we  want  to  think 
steadily  and  firmly  and  keep  our  minds 
upon  that  way  which  leads  to  goodness  and 
usefulness  and  God.  In  other  words  the 
man  should  bring  himself  back  unceas- 
ingly to  this  normal  position :  "  What  does 
God  want  me  to  do,  and  what  is  right  in 
the  sight  of  God  ?  "  He  can  do  this  even 
when  reading  things  which  seem  to  have 
no  special  connection  with  the  religious 
life.  He  can  do  it  while  walking  or  sit- 
ting or  even  talking.  There  must  always 
be  that  holding  of  the  mind  within  the 


THE  MIND.  211 

confines  of  the  path  which  leads  to  God, 
so  that,  however  it  may  be  occupied,  this 
one  strong  current  shall  never  be  neglected. 
Oh,  may  God  help  us  in  these  days  of 
great  mental  activity  when  men  are  learn- 
ing with  great  rapidity,  and  all  sorts  of 
things  are  taught  by  men  who  are  wise  and 
by  some  men  who  are  otherwise — may  God 
help  us  to  keep  our  minds  fixed  upon  Him 
Who  is  the  source  of  all  wisdom !    May  He 
help  us  to  use  them  so  that  we  may  think 
those  things  which  are  good  and  by  His 
merciful  guidance  may  be  enabled  to  per- 
form the  same. 

O,  Thou  God  of  wisdom,  Who  hast 
given  to  Thy  servant  a  mind  that  he  may 
think,  and  meditate  upon  Thy  truth,  and 
learn  those  things  which  Thou  hast  pre- 
pared for  him  to  study,  help  me,  I  be- 
seech of  Thee,  to  bring  my  mind  into  sub- 
jection to  Thy  will.  Let  me  use  it  al- 
ways in  order  that  I  may  be  better  fitted 
to  do  what  Thou  wouldst  have  me  do. 
Guard  me  against  false  and  unworthy 
thoughts,  against  day-dreaming,  and  against 
wandering  into  paths  of  darkness.  Help 
me  to  see  clearly  and  to  think  honestly  and 
to  study  unceasingly,  so  that  at  last  when 


212  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

the  brightness  of  Thy  glorious  wisdom 
bursts  upon  me  I  may  be  found  by  Thy 
grace  ready  to  enter  into  the  wonderful 
paths  of  eternal  truth,  and  to  understand 
the  mystery  which  Thou  wilt  then  reveal. 
For  Christ's  sake.     Amen. 


CHAPTEE  XIX. 

THE    SOUL. 

"  God  is  a  Spirit :  and  they  that  worship 
him  must  worship  him  in  spirit  and  in 
truth."  So  did  Christ  speak,  and  He  gave 
us  in  these  words  the  interpretation  of 
what  we  commonly  call  the  soul.  It  is  a 
little  perplexing  to  give  a  clear  definition 
of  the  word  in  Greek  which  is  sometimes 
translated  soul,  sometimes  spirit  and  some- 
times life.  It  is  an  interesting  study  to 
take  the  word  as  used  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment and  note  its  varied  significance.  But 
for  us  in  this  practical  study  of  the  life 
of  a  Christian  man  it  is  sufficient  to  take 
the  common  acceptation  of  the  term  soul. 

When  we  sing: 

"  Jesus,  Lover  of  my  soul 
Let  me  to  Thy  bosom  fly," 

or  when  we  pray  in  our  childhood's  even- 
ing prayer: 

"  I  pray  Thee,  Lord, 
My  soul  to  keep," 
213 


214  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

Loving  we  refer  to  that  spiritual  part  of  our  nature 
with  which  we  love  God  and  pray  to  Him 
and  worship  Him.  Of  course,  as  we  have 
already  shown,  we  are  to  worship  God 
and  love  Him  with  our  minds  and  our 
bodies  also,  but  the  soul  is  that  which  seems 
to  come  nearest  to  God  and  to  guide  the 
mind  and  the  body  into  a  close  communion 
with  Him.  It  is  that  in  us  which  aspires 
towards  God  and  towards  holy  things.  It 
is  that  which  realizes  and  longs  for  the 
things  of  God.  It  is  that  to  which  Jesus 
speaks  and  through  which  the  Holy  Spirit 
guides.  It  will  not  do  to  say  that  the 
soul  is  that  which  lives  forever,  for  the 
body  and  the  mind  will  live  forever  also, 
and  yet  from  the  Bible  we  are  led  to  believe 
that  the  soul  after  death  enters  into  a 
place  called  Paradise  while  the  body  sleeps 
awaiting  the  general  resurrection  day. 
When  our  Lord  said  on  the  Cross :  "  Into 
thy  hands  I  commend  my  spirit,"  He 
taught  that  the  soul  or  spirit  enters  into 

Soul  im-  Paradise  there  to  rest  and  work  and  serve 
until  the  time  shall  come  when  the  whole 
being — body,  mind  and  soul — shall  enter 
into  glory.  When  speaking,  therefore,  of 
the  immortality  of  the  soul  we  are  to  re- 
member that  it  is  really  the  part  of  us  which 


mortal. 


THE  SOUL.  215 

is  nearest  to  God  and  the  part  which 
holds  the  supremacy  in  our  nature,  for  it 
is  the  soul  which  should  govern  and  con- 
trol the  mind  and  the  body,  not  in  any 
slavish  fashion  as  if  they  were  inferior, 
but  in  a  noble  fashion  as  keeping  the  full 
harmony  of  our  humanity.  When  a  chord 
of  three  notes  is  struck  upon  the  piano 
the  three  form  one,  and  yet  the  key-note  is 
that  which,  as  we  listen,  is  most  prominent. 
So  it  is  with  our  being ;  the  three  parts  are 
in  harmony  and  yet  there  is  one  which 
leads. 

If  we  can  think,  then,  of  the  soul  as  be-  in  God's 
ing  the  power  by  which  we  come  nearest 
to  God  and  with  which  we  commune  with 
Him,  it  will  be  easy  for  us  to  recognize 
our  duty  towards  God  in  connection  with 
our  spirits.  The  first  thing  we  note  is  that 
our  souls  should  always  dwell  in  the  pres- 
ence of  God.  From  Him  we  are  to  draw 
our  light.  From  Him  we  are  to  gain  our 
knowledge  of  right.  From  Him  we  are 
to  learn  the  things  which  are  holy  and 
pure.  And  constantly,  therefore,  with  our 
souls  we  must  aspire,  that  is,  we  must  long 
for  holy  things — for  the  things  which  God 
has  prepared  in  another  world,  and  for  the 
pure  things  which  He  has  bidden  us  seek 


presence. 


216  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

to  establish  in  this  world.  The  man  who 
has  no  high  aspirations  is  the  man  who  is 
practically  dead.  When  one  is  satisfied 
with  things  as  they  are,  and  with  himself, 
then  he  loses  the  delight  and  inspiration 
which  come  from  catching  a  vision  of  a 
holier  world  and  a  holier  self,  and  sinks 
down  inevitably  into  a  low  condition. 
When  a  man  longs  for  God,  and  cries  out 
as  did  the  patriarch  Job :  "  Oh  that  I  knew 
where  I  might  find  him ! "  and  cries 
with  Moses :  "  Show  me  thy  glory," 
then  he  is  growing  in  all  those  graces 
of  body,  of  mind  and  of  soul  which 
shall  make  him  more  and  more  what  God 
would  have  him  be,  and  fill  him  with  en- 
Aspira-  thusiasm  to  lift  up  the  world.  This  aspira- 
tion of  the  human  heart  is  born  of  the  life 
which  God  has  given  us.  Man  alone  has  a 
soul.  It  is  the  divine  in  him,  still  in 
embryo,  but  a  germ  with  possibilities  of 
wonderful  development  and  growth.  It  is 
the  desire  of  the  soul  for  God  that  makes 
a  man  love  the  things  that  are  pure  and 
good  and  holy.  It  is  the  soul  that  makes 
him  restless  in  the  midst  of  imperfection, 
and  capable  of  telling  the  difference  be- 
tween things  excellent  and  things  wrong. 
It  is  the  soul  that  catches  the  vision  of  the 


THE  SOUL.  217 

Almighty,  and  it  catches  the  vision  be- 
cause it  sees,  through  the  power  which  God 
gives,  the  glory  which  shall  at  last  be  at- 
tained and  enjoyed  in  Heaven.  We  must 
therefore  cultivate  these  aspirations,  these 
longings,  even  although  at  times  they  may 
make  us  sad  because  of  our  inability  im- 
mediately to  reach  them.  Emerson  says: 
"  A  man  is  known  by  his  aspirations,"  and 
that  saying  is  true,  truer  than  even  Emer- 
son realized.  The  man  who  aspires  for 
earthly  honor  or  glory  or  knowledge  is,  of 
course,  a  little  higher  than  the  sluggard 
who  cares  for  none  of  these  things  but  only 
wants  to  sleep  and  eat.  But  the  man  who 
aspires  for  holiness,  goodness  and  God,  who 
is  dissatisfied  with  himself  and  with  the 
world  and  in  his  dissatisfaction  tries  to 
make  both  better,  he  is  known  indeed  by 
these  very  lofty  and  glorious  sighings  of 
his  spirit  for  the  things  which  God  has 
placed  before  His  children. 

Again,  with  the  soul  we  are  to  commune  Com- 
with  God.     When  Christ  prayed  that  we     ™£icn' 
might  abide  in  Him  even  as  He  abides  in     God. 
us,  He  referred  particularly  to  the  spirit 
of  man  which  can  take  to  itself  the  very 
nature  of  Christ  and  can  itself  enter  into 
His  divine  nature.     It  is  not  easy  to  ex- 


218  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

press  this  great  truth,  but  through  expe- 
rience it  comes  so  mightily  that  one  can 
never  doubt  the  fact.  As  we  read  the 
Psalms  of  David  we  are  impressed  by  the 
way  in  which  his  soul  communed  with 
God.  As  we  study  the  life  of  St.  John 
the  Evangelist,  and  read  his  words  urging 
to  love,  we  know  that  his  soul  communed 
with  his  Maker.  So  all  of  the  real  Chris- 
tians in  the  history  of  the  world,  whether 
they  were  great  writers  and  fathers  of  the 
church,  or  whether  they  were  the  humble 
people  whose  names  are  not  known  on  earth 
but  are  written  in  the  Lamb's  Book  of  Life, 
had  this  spiritual  communion  with  God. 
Tennyson  urges  to  this  in  those  beautiful 
lines : 

"  Speak  to  Him,  thou,  for  He  hears, 
And  Spirit  with  Spirit  can  meet — 
Closer  is  He  than  breathing, 
And  nearer  than  hands  and  feet." 

It  is  through  this  communion  of  the  soul 
with  God,  and  through  it  alone,  that  we 
find  peace.  The  body  may  be  in  the  midst 
of  great  tumult,  and  tossed  in  pain  hither 
and  thither  with  agonizing  suffering;  the 
mind  may  be  confused,  and  unable  to  see 
clearly  or  to  comprehend;  but  the  soul, 
drawing  near  to  God,  finds  in  Him  the 


lowship. 


THE  SOUL.  219 

peace  which  passeth  understanding,  and 
then  comes  with  that  glorious  calmness  to 
make  the  body  strong  and  the  mind  quiet. 
The  Christian,  therefore,  must  learn  and 
practise  the  joy  of  this  spiritual  commun- 
ion with  God,  without  which  he  cannot 
live,  without  which  he  cannot  grow,  with- 
out which  he  cannot  endure. 

Let  us  remember  again  that  it  is  the  Soulfel- 
soul  which  really  brings  us  near  to  our 
fellows,  even  as  it  brings  us  near  to  God. 
I  cannot  really  help  my  brother  unless,  in 
a  measure,  at  least,  I  understand  him,  and 
this  understanding  is  not  mental  or  phys- 
ical, but  spiritual.  It  has  indeed  an  ele- 
ment of  the  physical  in  it,  for  I  think  we 
are  learning  to-day  that  there  is  a  peculiar 
strength  in  physical  association  and  near- 
ness which  is  something  more  than  mere 
animal  propinquity,  and  we  are  learning 
also  that  mind  can  read  and  perhaps  influ- 
ence mind  in  such  a  way  as  to  help  or 
hinder;  but  in  spite  of  this  the  soul  holds 
the  ascendency  in  our  relationship  with 
others.  I  commune  with  my  friend  in 
spirit,  that  is,  I  realize  how  he  feels,  and 
I  feel  with  him.  I  see  things  more  and 
more  from  his  point  of  view.  I  enter  into 
the  deep  emotions  of  his  nature.     I  am 


220  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

one  with  him  in  his  longings,  and  so  I  am 
privileged  to  help  him,  even  as  he  in  like 
manner  helps  me.  In  dealing  with  men  at 
large  who  do  not  perhaps  come  into  such 
close  spiritual  touch  with  me  as  my  friend, 
the  same  rule  still  applies.  I  cannot  help 
a  man  unless  I  enter  into  his  emotions.  I 
cannot  help  the  drunkard  unless  I  realize 
something  of  the  despair  or  passion  or 
weakness  which  may  lead  him  to  seek  to 
drown  his  troubles  in  drink.  I  cannot 
help  the  fallen  woman  unless,  in  a  high 
and  pure  way,  and  yet  very  absolutely,  I 
grasp  her  trouble,  and  the  way  in  which 
temptation  comes  to  her.  There  is  some- 
thing very  beautiful  in  this  thought  of  the 
soul  communing  with  the  souls  of  others, 
because  it  has  already  communed  with  God. 
It  seems  like  bringing  the  divine  very 
close  to  the  human  in  our  earthly  struggle, 
and  it  assures  us  that  we  are  bound  to  do 
good  simply  because  God's  Spirit  is  work- 
ing through  our  spirit.  St.  Paul  expresses 
this  in  many  ways,  and  beautifully,  as, 
for  instance,  when  he  speaks  of  the  Spirit 
of  God  making  intercession  for  us  with 
groanings  which  cannot  be  uttered ;  and 
when  he  speaks  of  the  fruits  of  the  Spirit, 
and  when  he  urges  our  living  in  the  Spirit. 


THE  SOUL.  221 

It  is  the  whole  secret  of  usefulness  in  the 
world.  It  is  the  whole  secret  of  true  love. 
It  is  the  whole  secret  of  that  blessed 
human  relationship  which  makes  a  man 
feel  as  the  divine  Christ  felt,  when,  in 
order  to  save  men,  He  took  upon  Himself 
the  shape  of  humanity. 

Finally,  the  Christian  man  must  re-  soul 
member  that  his  soul  above  all  else  is  to  stains- 
be  kept  clean.  Sin  stains  the  soul  before 
it  touches  the  mind  or  the  body.  The 
consciousness  of  having  done  wrong  comes 
to  our  spirits  even  when  the  body  is  yet 
untouched  and  the  mind  is  yet  uncon- 
vinced. It  is  wonderful  how  what  we  call 
conscience  speaks  to  us,  both  in  warning 
and  in  reproof,  when  there  is  temptation 
or  when  we  have  yielded  to  sin.  It  is  like 
a  sensitive  plant  which  feels  the  touch. 
It  is  like  the  ear  which  catches  the  sound 
before  the  brain  can  interpret  the  sound. 
It  is  like  the  music  of  the  spheres  of  which 
the  ancients  wrote,  which  gives  harmony 
always,  and  yet  of  which  we  are  scarce 
conscious.  To  keep  the  soul  sensitive  so 
that  it  may  feel  the  touch  of  God's  hand 
and  revolt  against  the  touch  of  evil;  to 
keep  the  soul  pure  so  that,  washed  in  the 
blood  of  Christ,  it  may  be  ready  to  bring 


222  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

the  body  and  the  mind  also  for  sanctifica- 
tion  to  Him  Who  alone  can  heal;  to  keep 
the  soul  so  near  to  God  that  His  light  shall 
be  reflected  by  it  even  as  the  moon  reflects 
the  light  of  the  sun, — this  is  that  which 
will  make  the  Christian  a  true  follower  of 
the  Master  in  all  holiness  and  joy. 
God's  voice  If  it  is  thought  that  these  words  about 
soul.  the  soul  are  a  little  perplexing  and  incom- 
prehensible, let  us  strive  to  bring  the  truth 
right  down  to  our  daily  living,  and  so  find 
help  for  ourselves.  Let  me  think  of  the 
way  in  which  God  speaks  to  me  through 
everything  which  comes  to  me — my  expe- 
riences, my  joys  and  sorrows,  the  beauties 
of  nature,  and  the  things  I  hear  and  read. 
They  speak  to  my  soul,  and  my  soul  is  to 
take  them  and  gather  from  them  the  good 
which  God  sends  and  reject  the  evil  which 
Satan  may  have  sought  to  mingle  with 
them.  Day  by  day  I  am  to  let  my  soul 
rise  up  towards  God.  Day  by  day  I  am  to 
worship  Him  with  the  spirit.  Day  by  day 
I  am  to  help  my  brothers  through  this 
power  of  divine  sympathy  which  works 
first  in  my  soul  and  the/i  goes  out  with 
intelligence  and  physical  strength  to  render 
aid.  May  God  grant  us  such  an  unceasing 
in-flooding  of  His  Holy   Spirit  that  we 


THE  SOUL.  223 

may  worship  Him  with  all  our  souls  and 
so  become  more  and  more  like  the  Master ! 

Dear  Lord,  Who  hast  made  me  a  living 
soul  and  hast  breathed  into  me  Thine  own 
divine  breath,  help  me,  I  beseech  of  Thee, 
to  worship  Thee  in  spirit  and  in  truth. 
Suffer  me  to  draw  near  to  Thee  in  my 
soul.  Join  Thyself  to  me,  even  as  I  am 
by  Thy  grace  joined  to  Thee,  that  so  I 
may  will  only  those  things  which  Thou 
dost  will  and  may  find  peace  in  communion 
with  Thee.  Let  me  in  my  daily  life  serve 
my  fellow  men  through  that  divine  power 
which  Thou  hast  implanted  within  me, 
feeling  their  infirmities,  and  recognizing 
their  needs,  and  longing  to  bless  them. 
And  above  all,  dear  Lord,  in  order  that  I 
may  have  these  gifts  for  which  I  have 
prayed,  wash  my  soul  and  keep  it  clean. 
Let  it  not  be  stained  by  anything  which  is 
unpleasing  to  Thee,  and  may  it  ever  be  so 
pure  that  it  may  see  Thee.     For  Thine 

,  own  dear  sake.     Amen. 

f 


CHAPTEE  XX. 


TEMPTATIONS. 


Tempta- 
tions 
from 
without. 


We  come  now  to  the  battle  of  life,  and 
that  battle  is  marked  by  just  as  real  a 
conflict  and  by  just  as  many  trials  as  is 
the  battle  of  the  body  in  the  midst  of  foes. 
"No  one  can  read  the  Bible  from  Genesis  to 
Revelation  without  seeing  how  this  earthly 
life  is  ever  noted  as  a  contest.  Even  the 
Master  Himself  is  represented  in  the  Book 
of  Revelation  as  going  forth  conquering 
and  to  conquer.  St.  Paul  bids  us  "  Put 
on  the  whole  armor  of  God."  The 
Church  of  God  is  put  in  the  world  to  es- 
tablish Christ's  Kingdom.  She  has  her 
battle-field ;  and  the  individual  has  within 
himself  a  battle-field  where  temptations 
come  as  really  and  as  mightily  as  they 
came  to  Jesus  Christ  in  the  wilderness 
when  He  was  tempted  of  the  devil. 

Temptation  comes  to  us  from  without 
when  we  are  urged  by  others  or  by  the 
circumstances  of  life  to  do  wrong.  They 
224 


TEMPTATIONS,  225 

eome  directly  from  the  devil  when  he  puts  From  with- 
in our  hearts  evil  thoughts  and  paints  in* 
pleasures  which  do  not  exist  in  order  that 
we  may  be  deceived  and  yield.  Temp- 
tation comes  from  our  own  hearts  some- 
times, so  that  we  can  hardly  tell  the  differ- 
ence between  our  good  selves  and  our  bad 
selves.  The  story  of  Dr.  Jekyll  and  Mr. 
Hyde  is  wonderfully  true  to  life.  The 
ancients  used  to  believe  that  every  man  had 
within  himself  really  two  men — one  good 
and  the  other  bad.  St.  Paul  himself  says : 
"  When  I  would  do  good,  evil  is  present 
with  me."  It  is  this  internal  conflict 
which  is  the  most  trying  of  all.  We  can, 
in  a  measure,  understand  the  temptation 
which  another  man  places  in  our  way,  and 
steel  ourselves  to  resist  it.  We  can  under- 
stand the  direct  temptations  of  Satan  even 
though  he  sometimes  may  come  as  an  angel 
of  light,  and  cry  with  the  Master,  "  Get 
thee  behind  me."  But  when  we  are 
tempted  from  within,  when  our  own  selves 
seek  to  lead  us  astray,  then  indeed  we  are 
perplexed.  But  in  all  these  temptations 
the  same  general  rules  will  apply. 

Before  speaking  of  these  rules  let  us  au  are 
note  two  or  three  truths  for  our  comfort.     temPtel 
And  first,  we  must  remember  that  we  are 


knows. 


226  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

all  tempted,  that  no  man  has  ever  lived  who 
was  not  subject  to  trials,  and  that  the 
Master  Himself  endured  temptation. 
Sometimes  when  one  is  sorely  vexed  by 
temptings  to  do  wrong,  and  wonders 
whether  he  is  not  utterly  corrupt,  it  is  well 
for  him  to  remember  that  all  flesh  from 
Adam's  day  has  had  this  old  conflict,  and 
that  it  is  a  part  of  the  world's  experience, 
and  so  must  have  something  to  do  with  the 
world's  progress. 
God  Secondly,   let   us   remember  that  these 

temptations,  or  at  least  our  consciousness 
of  them,  proves  to  us,  not  that  we  are  cast 
away  but  that  we  are  really  God's  children 
whom  Satan  is  trying  to  steal  from  the 
Father.    I  love  that  verse  of  the  old  hymn : 

"  Did  I  meet  no  trials  here, 
No  temptations  by  the  way, 
Might  I  not  with  reason  fear 
I  should  be  a  cast-away? " 

If  Satan  did  not  think  there  was  danger 
of  his  losing  us  he  would  not  bother  to 
tempt  us.  When  a  man  loses  conscious- 
ness of  temptation  or  trial,  that  is,  when 
he  does  not  know  that  he  is  being  tempted 
and  does  not  care,  he  has,  indeed,  fallen 
into  a  condition  of  sleep  which  is  sad  and 


TEMPTATIONS.  227 

hopeless    unless    some    great   power    shall 
awaken  him. 

And  third,  let  us  always  remember  that  Making 
these  temptations  and  trials  should,  if  we 
deal  with  them  rightly,  make  us  better. 
The  man  who  comes  unscathed  through  the 
battle  is  hardly  the  hero  whom  we  revere; 
but  he  who  comes  out  of  the  battle  dusty 
and  worn  and  perchance  wounded,  nay,  he 
who  has  fallen  in  the  battle  and  died  strug- 
gling, he  is  the  hero  whom  men  delight 
to  honor  and  whom  God  loves.  So  the  con- 
flict is  not  a  hopeless  one,  nor  is  it,  although 
endless,  a  battle  without  final  victory. 
The  victory  may  not  be  marked  here.  We 
may,  indeed,  die  in  the  very  midst  of  the 
battle  with  the  guns  thundering  and  the 
swords  flashing,  and  our  last  sight  be  one  of 
carnage  and  misery.  But  if  we  preserve 
our  courage  and  never  yield,  we  may  be 
sure  that  the  temptations  have  made  us 
what  God  would  have  us  be  through  His 
grace,  and  have  proved  that  we  are  truly 
soldiers  of  the  King. 

And  now  how  shall  we  deal  with  these  Meeting 
temptations?     First,   surely,   by  going  to     tions.*" 
meet  them  rather  than  waiting  for  them  to 
catch  us.     It  has  always  seemed  to  me  a 
wonderful  thing  that  our  Lord  after  His 


228  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

baptism  was  "  led  up  of  the  Spirit  into  the 
wilderness  to  be  tempted  of  the  devil." 
He  began  His  ministry  with  a  conflict 
which  He  Himself  sought.  And  we,  His 
children,  are  not  merely  to  stand  on  the 
defensive,  but  we  are  to  go  out  where 
the  battle  with  wrong  is  raging  and  take  a 
part  in  it.  If  the  man  who  is  tempted  to 
drink  would  begin  a  conflict  against  intem- 
perance and  try  to  save  others  who  are 
being  carried  away,  and  cultivate  by  his 
zeal  a  hatred  of  the  saloon,  and  of  the 
drink  which  seeks  to  make  him  captive,  he 
would  find  himself  far  stronger  to  over- 
come. If  the  man  who  feels  within  himself 
the  temptation  to  laziness,  or  doubt,  or 
selfishness,  would  at  once  attack  these  foes, 
going  into  the  very  thickest  of  the  battle, 
he  would  find  himself  victorious.  Of 
course  a  man  is  not  justified  in  throwing 
himself  wantonly  into  the  way  of  temp- 
tation; he  wants  to  go  out  to  meet  temp- 
tation with  the  idea  of  battling  with  it. 
He  wants  to  fight  his  enemy  because  it  i3 
the  enemy  of  his  brothers.  ISTo  man  can 
really  fight  his  battle  alone  if  he  wishes  to 
be  successful. 

Again,    we    must    remember    how    our 
Lord  quoted  Scripture  in  resisting  Satan. 


TEMPTATIONS.  229 

We  cannot  do  better  than  follow  His  ex-  Quoting 
ample.  When  temptations  assail  me,  if  t^' 
I  will  remember  how  God  has  spoken  and 
how  God  has  blessed  me  and  how  He  has 
bidden  me  work  for  Him,  and  bring  from 
the  Bible  words  proving  all  these  things 
and  hurl  them  at  Satan,  then  I  am  sure  to 
conquer.  It  is  wonderful  how  the  Bible 
has  texts  for  every  single  temptation.  The 
Christian  should  arm  himself  with  the 
Word  of  God  even  as  the  warrior  arms 
himself  with  his  sword,  for  St.  Paul  calls 
the  Word  of  God  the  "  sword  of  the 
Spirit." 

Again,  in  meeting  these  temptations  we  Undis- 
must  never  be  discouraged.  No  matter 
how  severely  cast  down  we  may  seem  to  be 
or  how  sorely  wounded,  no  matter  how  low 
we  may  feel  ourselves  to  have  fallen  even 
in  our  own  eyes,  and  much  more  then  in 
God's  sight,  we  must  never  for  one  moment 
believe  that  the  struggle  is  useless.  The 
true  victor  is  the  man  who  will  not  give 
up.  He  may  fall  again  and  again,  but  if  he 
rises  up  and  renews  the  conflict  he  is 
proving  himself  to  be  the  hero  whom  God 
loves.  It  is  not  the  man  who  never  falls, 
or  thinks  he  never  falls  and  boasts  of  it, 
and   so   esteems   himself   as   better   than 


230  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

others,  and  whom  our  Lord  so  tremen- 
dously rebukes  when  he  says :  "  Woe  unto 
you,  scribes  and  Pharisees,  hypocrites !  " 
but  it  is  the  man  who,  like  Peter,  weeps 
bitterly  for  his  error  and  then  goes  on 
fighting;  it  is  the  man  who,  like  David, 
though  falling  again  and  again  will  not 
let  go  of  God  and  of  hope;  it  is  the  man 
who,  realizing  his  own  weakness  and  fight- 
ing with  all  his  might,  and  yet  sometimes 
swept  off  his  feet,  prays  to  God  and  will 
not  yield — it  is  such  an  one  who  is  really 
victorious  and  at  last  will  be  crowned. 
Future  And  finally  we  want  to  remember  that 

all  of  these  temptations  have  something  to 
do  with  our  future  glory.  We  cannot  tell 
what  they  mean.  We  do  not  know  how 
they  are  to  work  good  for  us  when  we  battle 
with  them,  but  we  do  know  that  since 
God  permits  them  to  come  to  us  they 
must  have  a  divine  purpose  which,  if  we 
are  true  and  loyal  and  steadfast,  will  at 
last  be  revealed.  And  this  is  the  most 
inspiring  fact  of  all.  Everything  in  my 
life,  as  we  have  already  seen,  has  a  mean- 
ing; not  one  single  experience  or  sorrow 
or  joy  or  struggle  is  without  significa- 
tion. To  realize  this,  and  so  to  go  bravely 
onward,  never  giving  up,  never  despairing, 


glory. 


conflicts, 


TEMPTATIONS.  231 

broken-hearted  it  may  be,  and  yet  never 
losing  sight  of  the  glory  to  come,  is  to  live 
as  God  would  have  ns  live. 

Let  me  say  one  word  more.  A  glorious  Helps  in 
time  is  coming  when  the  temptation  days 
will  be  over.  St.  John  gives  us  an  account 
of  the  day  when  Satan  shall  be  bound 
and  cast  into  the  bottomless  pit,  and  when, 
as  a  result,  sorrow  and  sighing  shall  flee 
away.  The  Christian  helps  bring  that  day 
nearer  by  the  earnestness  of  his  conflict. 
He  looks  forward  to  it  as  a  supreme  event 
connected  with  his  entrance  into  heaven. 
He  knows  it  as  a  fact  which  cannot  be 
disputed.  He  can  stand  before  Satan  or 
before  the  temptations  which  come  to  him, 
and  cry  out :  "  You  may  try  me,  you  may 
attack  me,  you  may  seem  to  get  the  better 
of  me,  but  I  will  never  for  one  instant 
yield  to  you  or  count  you  victorious,  for 
the  time  is  coming  when  you  will  be  cast 
down  and  destroyed,  and  when  I,  by  the 
grace  of  my  Saviour,  shall  be  redeemed  and 
live  forever !  "  This  splendid  cry  of  en- 
thusiastic faith  should  never  leave  the 
Christian's  lips ;  his  heart  must  be  buoyed 
up  by  it;  his  weary  nerves  find  through  it 
their  recuperation;  his  grief  and  remorse 
be  buried  in  it,  and  his  song  of  thanks- 


232  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

giving  rise  up  from  it,  because  it  is  the 
great  promise  of  the  Gospel,  and,  next  to 
seeing  the  face  of  the  Master  in  heaven, 
it  will  be  the  great  joy  of  eternity. 

O,  Thou  Who  in  the  wilderness  didst 
meet  and  vanquish  the  Prince  of  evil, 
come  Thou  to  me  as  I  am  tried,  and  give 
me  Thy  grace  that  I  may  resist  and  con- 
quer! Help  me,  dear  Christ,  to  know 
that  these  temptations  are  the  lot  of  hu- 
manity and  that  I,  even  as  all  Thy 
children,  must  fight  if  I  would  reign. 
Save  me  from  discouragement  and  despair. 
Let  me  not  think  that  though  wounded  I 
am  helpless.  Teach  me  how  to  cry  to 
Thee  and  to  rely  upon  Thee  in  the  hour 
of  need.  Help  me  more  and  more  to  gain 
the  victory.  Support  me  with  Thine 
ever  present  strength,  and  O,  dear  Lord, 
may  my  struggle  itself  hasten  the  day  when 
all  evil  shall  be  destroyed,  when  the  battle 
shall  be  over,  the  victory  eternally  won, 
and  I  shall  see  Thy  face,  and  hear  Thy 
voice  saying  "Well   done."     Amen. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

HOPE. 

One  of  the  greatest  elements  in  the 
Christian  life  and  one  which  St.  Paul 
places  side  by  side  with  faith  and  love,  is 
hope.  We  need  it  when  we  are  in  the 
midst  of  temptation,  and  so  it  is  well  to 
consider  its  real  meaning  here,  for  the 
Christian  cannot  really  serve  God  and  live 
his  life  as  he  ought  unless  he  has  this 
divine  grace.  What  then  is  hope?  We  what  is 
ordinarily  think  of  it  as  something  very  p 
intangible,  a  possibility  of  something  hap- 
pening at  some  time  and  in  some  way  and 
in  some  place — a  curious  and  uncertain 
emotion  of  the  soul  that  there  must  be  an 
escape  from  the  things  which  distress  us. 
But  surely  hope  is  more  definite  than  that ! 
It  is  a  real  thing.  It  is  a  positive  and  sure 
glory,  even  as  faith  is  a  substance  and  love 
a  power.  Hope  is  that  by  which  we  catch 
sight  of  a  vision  and  bring  it  down  to  the 
present  and  live  by  it.  Hope  is  the  power 
233 


234:  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

by  which  the  sculptor  stands  before  his 
marble  and  notes  not  the  chips  flying  from 
his  chisel,  but  sees  only  the  figure  impris- 
oned in  the  stone,  which  he  is  seeking  to 
bring  out  that  others  may  see  it  too. 
Hope  is  the  power  by  which  the  musician 
brings  from  the  instrument  or  from  his 
voice  that  which  has  already  sung  its 
symphony  in  his  own  soul.  Hope  is  the 
power  by  which  the  artist,  standing  before 
his  canvas  and  unmindful  of  his  brush  or 
paints,  sees  the  landscape  or  the  face,  and 
seeks  to  place  it  upon  the  canvas  that  others 
also  may  rejoice  in  it.  Hope  is  the  power 
by  which  the  author  puts  into  words  the 
truth  which  has  already  been  revealed  to 
his  own  mind.  It  is  the  grasping  of  things 
to  be,  and  making  them  the  ever-present 
models  in  the  daily  effort.  It  is  the  sight 
of  great  good  which,  burning  itself  into 
the  soul,  incites  that  soul  to  longings,  and 
the  soul  in  its  turn  calls  upon  the  mind  to 
plan,  and  the  mind  in  its  turn  calls  upon 
the  body  to  act,  so  that  hope  seizes  upon 
the  whole  man  and  exalts  and  makes  ready 
for  action  every  part  of  him. 
Hope  a  It   is  very  important  for  us  to  remember 

power.      ^.g  definition,  for  hope  is  a  power  which 
God  has  given  to  enable  us  to  endure  and 


HOPE.  235 

to  work.  If  I  am  not  sure  whether  my 
work  is  going  to  result  in  anything  or  not ; 
if  I  wonder  whether  this  struggle  is  worth 
while ;  if  I  question  as  to  the  final  outcome 
of  all  these  years  of  striving  and  suffering 
and  agony  of  soul,  then  there  cannot  possi- 
bly be  either  any  joy  in  my  life  or  any 
intelligence  in  my  conflict.  It  is  hope 
which  inspires,  for  it  brings  the  vision  and 
holds  it  before  me.  It  is  hope  which  en- 
fires,  so  that  my  sleeping  energies  are 
aroused,  and  I  go  forth  with  new  and  ever 
greater  determination.  It  is  hope  which 
fills  me  with  delight,  for  it  shows  me,  even 
while  all  I  am  doing  seems  imperfect  and 
unformed,  that  glorious  completeness  which 
I  am  slowly  working  out.  It  is  hope  which 
binds  us  together  as  fellow-strugglers,  mak- 
ing us  know  that  that  for  which  we  in  com- 
mon, although  with  varied  emotions,  long 
for,  is  coming  at  last  in  a  perfect  world 
and  in  perfect  conditions.  The  wonderful 
writings  of  men,  like  the  New  Atlantis 
and  the  New  Republic,  the  poems  which 
have  thrilled  the  heart  of  humanity,  the 
music  which  has  lifted  up  the  deadened 
senses  until  they  tingled  with  a  new  force, 
the  cries  of  men  which  have  moved  the 
multitudes  and  made  them  leap  to  their 


236  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

feet  with  a  deathless  ambition — these  are 
only  expressions  of  hope  which  have  seized 
upon  men,  making  them  see  the  vision,  and 
making  them  strive  anew  for  its  realization. 
Indeed,  everything  which  helps  us 
brings,  as  the  secret  of  its  help,  this  won- 
derful grace  of  hope.  I  try  to  help  my 
friend  because  I  see  the  vision  of  what  my 
friend  would  be  if  he  only  had  that  which 
I  long  to  give  him.  I  can  only  comfort 
the  one  who  is  in  trouble  as  I  realize  that 
there  is  peace  for  him  if  I  can  only  get  him 
to  accept  it.  I  can  only  educate  the  mind 
of  the  child  as  I  place  before  myself  and 
try  to  place  before  him  a  splendid  image 
of  truth  and  of  knowledge  and  of  useful- 
ness. I  can  only  help  the  world  as  I  see 
the  world,  by  the  power  of  hope,  made 
blessed  and  perfect. 

Hope  in  Jf   j   despair   concerning   myself,   that 

Christ.       .      .__,        l       .  _  ,     ,.    ,     .       ! 

is,  if  1  nave  no  nope,  I  can  do  little  m  the 

way  of  progress.  If  I  look  at  myself  and 
say :  "  You  poor,  miserable  worm  of  the 
dust,  how  is  it  possible  for  you  ever  to 
amount  to  anything  ?  "  then  in  my  hope- 
lessness I  at  once  lose  power.  If  I  look 
at  the  world  and  cry :  "  Oh,  you  miserable 
world,  you  are  not  worth  saving,  and  you 
never  can  be  saved;  I  shake  off  the  dust 


HOPE.  237 

of  my  feet  against  you ! "  then  I  am 
doomed  to  failure  in  any  effort  I  may  make 
to  lift  the  world  up.  Indeed,  it  was  the 
fine  hopefulness  of  Christ,  we  may  rever- 
ently say,  which  was  the  secret  of  His 
power  in  His  salvation  of  mankind. 
When,  for  instance,  He  came  to  the  man 
at  the  pool  of  Bethesda,  who  had  been 
helpless  for  thirty-eight  years,  and  who 
must  have  been  an  exceedingly  unattractive 
specimen  of  humanity,  how  could  our  Lord 
with  His  divine  perfection  and  His  hatred 
of  things  crude  and  coarse  and  unclean, 
have  drawn  near  to  him,  had  He  not  seen 
in  him  that  which  He  was  to  make  him — 
a  pure,  strong,  clean,  healthy  man!  How 
could  our  Lord  have  died  for  the  world  if 
He  had  questioned  whether  the  world  was 
worth  saving  or  whether  it  ever  could  be 
saved?  Did  He  not  look  upon  men  with 
great  longing?  Did  He  not  declare  that 
being  lifted  up  He  would  draw  all  men  unto 
Him  ?  Did  He  not,  with  this  divine  glory 
of  hope,  catch  a  vision,  which  to  Him  as 
the  Son  of  God  was  more  than  a  vision,  of 
the  time  when  at  last  all  that  God  had 
created,  man  and  the  universe,  should  be 
sinless  and  complete? 

Yea,  we  may  even  say  in  all  reverence 


238  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

that  God  Himself  has  patience  with  us 
only  because  He  has  hope,  that  is,  because 
He  sees  us  as  we  are  going  to  be.  Dr. 
Stalker  in  a  little  book  called  "The 
Four  Men  "  says  that  in  every  man  there 
are  really  four  men:  the  man  as  he  sees 
himself,  the  man  as  his  best  friend  sees 
him,  the  man  as  the  world  at  large  sees 
him,  and  the  man  as  God  sees  him.  Now 
how  does  God  see  man?  He  looks  upon 
him,  we  say,  as  poor  and  weak  and  human 
and  sinful.  Yes;  but  is  that  the  only  or 
the  real  way  in  which  God  sees  man? 
Does  He  not  see  me,  poor  and  unworthy 
though  I  am,  as  He  longs  to  make  me,  and 
as  He  knows  by  His  grace  I  will  become — 
a  man  perfect  and  strong  and  true?  The 
father  looks  upon  his  son,  and  sees  him  not 
as  he  is,  incapable,  unformed,  without 
strength  of  character,  but  as  he  is  going  to 
be  when  he  has  been  educated  and  has 
gained  strength  through  development,  and 
has  become  a  man.  So  God  looks  upon  the 
world  and  is  patient  with  it  and  loves  it, 
because  He  knows  what  the  old  world  is 
going  to  be  by  and  by. 
Hope  Practically,  how  does  this  hope  come  to 

the  Christian  man  and  help  him?    First, 
it  gives  him  a  vision  which  is  to  be  the 


HOPE.  239 

model  of  his  life ;  he  is  to  catch  sight  of  that 
vision  of  himself  as  God  wants  him  to  be, 
and  as  God  will  make  him,  and  try  his  best 
to  fashion  his  life  after  it.  Second,  it 
makes  him  patient  with  himself  though  he 
is  very  weak  and  though  he  does  not  seem 
to  reach  the  heights.  As  his  hope  speaks 
to  him  he  knows  that  the  vision  is  not  a 
mockery,  and  that  at  last  he  shall  attain. 
And  so  he  struggles  on  cheerfully,  faith- 
fully, and  with  a  song,  knowing  that  for 
him,  as  God's  child,  there  is  no  such  word 
as  failure.  And  lastly,  this  wonderful 
hope  comes  as  a  power  to  stimulate.  When 
a  man  climbing  the  mountain-side  catches 
sight  of  the  top  of  the  mountain  bathed  in 
sunlight  and  calling  him  enticingly  to  rest 
and  to  a  glorious  view,  he  feels  new  vigor 
in  his  wearied  limbs,  his  feet  though  they 
slip  will  not  give  up  any  more,  and  he 
presses  on  to  the  summit.  So  it  is  that  the 
Christian  feels  himself  thrilled,  not  by 
a  vague  emotion  or  desire,  and  not  by  an 
uncertain  possibility  of  success,  but  by  the 
sight  of  himself  as  successful  and  as  victo- 
rious, which  he  sees  and  which  he  knows  is 
genuine  and  true.  The  Christian  is  made 
courageous,  not  by  dreams — that  is,  by 
intangible  suggestions  which  mock  through 


240  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

their  unreality, — but  by  visions  which  hold 
before  him,  while  waking  as  well  as  while 
sleeping,  the  good  which  is  to  be,  the  joy 
of  victory,  and  of  friendship,  and  of  love, 
and  of  seeing  the  dear  Christ,  visions  in 
which  his  Christian  life  is  to  end  and  by 
which  his  toil  is  at  last  to  be  crowned. 

O,  my  King,  I  thank  Thee  for  hope! 
Thou  hast  given  me  a  vision  of  myself 
by  which  I  may  fashion  my  life.  Thou 
hast  given  me  a  vision  of  the  world  made 
perfect  so  that  I  may  know  what  to  do  for 
the  world's  good  and  may  not  lose  heart 
because  the  end  is  so  slow  in  coming.  Yea, 
Thou  dost  open  Heaven  to  me,  and  cause 
me  to  hear  already  the  songs  and  to  see 
already  the  mansions,  and  to  feel  already 
the  thrills  of  delight,  so  that  I  may  go 
on  my  way  as  one  who  seeks  a  certain 
country.  Dear  Lord,  let  me  never  deny 
Thee  by  any  poor  doubts.  Let  me  never 
turn  from  Thee,  and  think  that  the  struggle 
of  my  life  is  vain  and  the  end  vague.  But 
oh,  keep  me  full  of  that  divine  enthusiasm 
which  is  born  of  the  vision  which  Thou 
dost  give,  and  which  shall  make  my  weary 
feet  like  the  springing  feet  of  the  hart, 
and  which  shall  set  me  up  on  high.  For 
Thine  own  dear  sake.     Amen. 


CHAPTEE  XXII. 

IMMORTALITY. 

The  Christian  instinctively  asks,  in  the 
midst  of  his  struggles,  and  while  holding 
firmly  to  the  faith  once  for  all  delivered : — 
"  What  shall  come  to  me  after  this  life  is 
over  ?  "    It  is  a  question  which  the  human 
naturally  asks,  and  which  God  answers  for 
us.  We  must  never  think  that  God  hides 
anything  from  us.  He  does  not  always  re- 
veal the  fulness  of  His  truth,  because  we 
are  not  able  to  bear  it,  but  He  gives  us 
enough  light  to  show  us  our  way  and  to 
make  us  sure  concerning  that  which  is  to 
be.  We  need  not  stop  now  to  go  into  the 
interesting  study  of  the  way  in  which  men 
of  all  ages   and  of  all  forms  of  religion 
have  tried  to  penetrate  the  mystery  of  the 
life    after    death.      They    all    elaborated 
theories,  but  they  had  no  revelation.     Only 
to  the  children  of  Israel  was  a  partial  rev- 
elation given,  and  that  was  so  vague  that 
even  amongst  the  best  of  the  Jews  there 
241 


242  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

was  doubt,  and,  amongst  many,   absolute 

unbelief.     Job  seems  to  have  bad  a  vision 

when  he  cried :  "  I  know  that  my  Redeemer 

liveth,  and  that  he  shall  stand  at  the  latter 

day  upon  the  earth :    And  though  after  my 

skin  worms  destroy  this  body,  yet  in  my 

flesh  shall  I  see  God."     David  also  threw 

his  great  cry  out :  "  I  shall  not  die,  but 

live,  and  declare  the  works  of  the  Lord." 

But  there  was  no  positive  declaration  from 

God  concerning  our  future  life  until  Jesus 

Christ  came. 

Eternal  Now,  what  did  Jesus  teach  about  immor- 

life. 

tality  ?    First,  He  declared  very  positively 

that  there  was  a  place  to  which  He  was 
going  when  He  ascended,  and  where  He 
was  to  prepare  a  home  for  His  followers. 
He  did  not  describe  this  place  nor  tell 
where  it  was,  but  His  words  are  so  strong 
that  we  can  have  no  doubt  as  to  the  certain- 
ty of  two  or  three  facts :  first,  that  we  shall 
be  with  Him;  second,  that  we  shall  be 
free  from  sorrow  and  sin;  and  third,  that 
we  shall  live  forever. 

Again,  Jesus  taught  that  this  eternal 
life  is  the  real  life  and  that  our  life  on 
earth  is  but  a  preparation  for  it.  Indeed, 
it  becomes  so  real,  through  His  teaching,  to 
the  Christian,  that  virtually  it  seems  al- 


IMMORTALITY.  243 

most  to  begin  here,  for  Christ  said :  "  He 
that  believeth  on  me  hath  everlasting  life." 
That  is,  the  life  of  struggle  and  service  here 
is  so  inspired  by  the  certainty  of  the  life 
hereafter  that  everlasting  power  seems  to 
enter  into  the  Christian  as  he  battles  and 
prays. 

Once  more,  Jesus  implies  that  we  are  to 
be  together  and  know  one  another  in  that 
world,  even  as  we  are  together  and  know 
one  another  here.  He  said  to  His  disciples : 
"  Ye  also  shall  sit  upon  twelve  thrones, 
judging  the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel ; " 
and  again  those  wonderful  words :  "  I  will 
see  you  again,  and  your  heart  shall  rejoice, 
and  your  joy  no  man  taketh  from  you." 
And  yet  again  those  dear  words :  "  Rejoice 
not,  that  the  spirits  are  subject  unto  you; 
but  rather  rejoice,  because  your  names  are 
written  in  heaven."  These  are  only  sug- 
gestions of  the  many  words  which  our  Lord 
spoke,  proving  that  His  children  are  to 
know  each  other  even  as  they  are  to  know 
Him  in  the  life  beyond. 

rAnd  then  by  His  resurrection  and  the 
taking  of  His  glorified  human  body  up  into 
heaven,  Jesus  taught  us  that  we  are  to 
live  forever  with  our  bodies  glorified.  All 
that  He  passed  through  on  earth  was  but 


244  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

an  example  of  what  we  are  called  upon  to 
pass  through.  He  lived  the  perfect  human 
life ;  He  died ;  He  arose  from  the  dead,  and 
He  ascended  into  heaven.  Even  as  He 
was  born — save  that  His  birth  was  mirac- 
ulous— so  we  are  born;  even  as  He  grew, 
so  we  grow;  even  as  He  struggled,  so  we 
struggle ;  even  as  He  died,  so  we  must  die ; 
and  even  as,  after  His  resurrection,  He 
ascended  into  heaven,  so  also  shall  we. 
Living  We  must  also  remember  that  immedi- 

Christ.  ately  after  death,  according  to  the  expe- 
rience of  Christ,  our  souls  shall  live  with 
Him.  When  our  Lord  died  upon  the  Cross 
He  said  to  the  penitent  by  His  side :  "  To- 
day shalt  thou  be  with  me  in  Paradise," 
and  in  this  place  or  state  called  "  Para- 
dise "  during  the  three  days  before  His 
resurrection,  he  lived,  and,  according  to  St. 
Peter,  preached.  Without  any  long  argu- 
ment we  can  clearly  state  what  has  been 
believed  in  the  church  from  the  first :  that 
when  we  die  our  souls  shall  go  where  the 
soul  of  Jesus  went  and  shall  be  with  Him, 
and  that  we  too  shall  have  an  occupation 
which  He  will  give  us,  associated  with  His 
own.  The  life  of  the  soul  after  death  will 
be  work  without  weariness,  and  joy  and 
peace  untold. 


IMMORTALITY.  245 

When  we  come  to  the  Epistles  we  find, 
particularly  by  St.  Paul,  this  same  wonder- 
ful truth  of  immortality  declared.  Noth- 
ing can  equal  in  all  literature,  outside  of 
the  words  of  our  Lord,  that  wonderful 
fifteenth  chapter  of  First  Corinthians.  It 
not  only  teaches  the  resurrection  of  the 
body,  but  it  teaches  that  body,  mind  and 
soul  shall  finally,  after  the  last  great  day, 
dwell  forever  in  bliss  with  Him  the  Ke- 
deemer  and  King.  The  Christian  ought 
to  read  the  Epistles  through,  in  order  to 
gather  together  the  wonderful  declarations 
which  our  Lord's  followers  gave,  they  being 
inspired  by  the  Lloly  Ghost,  and  therefore 
speaking  the  truth  concerning  the  after- 
life. 

And  when  we  come  to  the  revelation  of 
St.  John,  we  find  so  much  that  is  gloriously 
comforting  in  the  vision  which  was  vouch- 
safed to  him  of  the  future,  that  our  hearts 
and  tears  overflow  in  gratitude,  and  we 
feel  assured  of  the  joy  which  is  awaiting 
us. 

The  simple  faith  of  the  Christian,  then, 
is  this, — that  if  he  holds  his  confidence 
steadfast  unto  the  end  and  believes  in 
Christ  and  loves  Him  and  tries  to  serve 
Him,  when  he  dies  his  body  will  rest  in 


246  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

the  grave  and  his  soul  will  go  to  a  place 
which  Christ  called  Paradise  where  it 
shall  rest  and  work  and  serve  and  grow 
until  the  great  day  of  resurrection  when 
all  of  God's  children  shall  rise  together; 
then  with  body,  mind  and  soul  re-united 
and  made  glorious  because  redeemed  by 
Christ,  he  will  go  to  his  final  abode  called 
heaven,  where  with  his  fellows  and  with 
his  King  he  will  enjoy  the  dear  vision  of 
the  Almighty,  and  with  unlimited  powers 
and  ever-increasing  delights,  live  forever- 
more. 
Preparing        Now  what,  practically,  has  this  to  do 

future       w*tn    tne    daily    ^e    °^    tne    Christian? 

life.  Very  much  indeed,  for  first  of  all  it  enables 

him  to  know  that  his  struggle  and  his 
labor  are  not  in  vain.  He  is  preparing 
here  for  another  life,  and  as  he  fits  himself, 
or  suffers  himself  to  be  fitted  by  God,  for 
the  glory  which  is  to  come,  he  will  find 
his  burdens  less  oppressive,  and  will  feel 
already  the  strength  which  comes  from  an 
assurance  concerning  the  future.  Again, 
he  will  realize  that  he  himself  is  bringing 
that  day  nearer  by  his  efforts.  He  is  in 
the  world  to  establish,  under  Christ's  direc- 
tion, the  Kingdom  of  God,  and  if  he  labors 
faithfully  and  belie vingly,  and  tries  to  per- 


IMMORTALITY.  247 

suade  men,  and  holds  fast  through  all  to 
the  King,  he  will  hasten  the  coming  of  that 
great  day.  And  again  he  will  feel  more 
and  more  entering  into  him,  even  now, 
the  blessedness  of  the  good  things  which  are 
to  be.  In  his  love  for  his  friends,  for  in- 
stance, he  will  know  that  that  love  is  to 
continue  forever,  and  that  death  cannot 
destroy  it.  In  his  pains  and  griefs  because 
of  the  severity  of  the  battle  he  will  look 
beyond  and  be  comforted  by  the  thought 
of  the  peace  which  at  last  shall  come,  and 
the  victory  which  shall  result  from  his  ef- 
forts. He  will  be,  not  like  one  who  beateth 
the  air,  but  as  one  who  sees  the  end  and 
at  once  struggles  both  to  attain  it  and  to 
help  others  attain  it.  Even  nature  herself 
will  become  more  beautiful  to  the  Chris- 
tian because  he  believes  that  the  whole 
creation  now  groaning  shall  at  last  be 
delivered  and  made  a  perfect  part  of  the 
eternity  of  God. 

Our  worship  not  only  teaches  concerning  life  in 

,   , .v.  11  •        »±  worship. 

the  eternal  life,  and  thence  gams  its  sig- 
nificance, but  it  also  draws  us  wonderfully 
near,  while  we  live,  to  the  blessedness  of 
that  day.  Our  hymns  and  our  prayers,  the 
messages  from  the  pulpit  and  the  messages 
from  God  to  our  souls  all  imply — indeed, 


248  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

they  are  based  upon  the  fact — that  we  are 
to  live  forever  after  this  life  is  over  and 
after  the  great  day  of  judgment,  in  happi- 
ness and  peace.  Worship  would  be  a  very 
vague  and  indefinite  thing  and  our  own 
private  prayers  would  be  simply  the  sigh- 
ings  of  a  hopeless  heart  were  it  not  for  the 
hold  this  great  truth  of  immortality  has 
upon  us.  How  could  I  pray  to  God  to  for- 
give me  and  to  bless  me  and  to  give  me 
strength  and  wisdom  in  my  conflict  if  I 
did  not  feel  the  influence  of  the  far-off 
horizon  beyond  which  there  is  glory  and 
rest  ?  How  could  I  pray  for  my  friends, 
loving  them  as  I  do,  if  I  did  not  believe 
that  our  friendship,  sanctified  by  the 
friendship  of  Jesus  Christ,  was  to  be  eter- 
nal? How  could  I  read  God's  Word  if  I 
did  not  draw  from  it,  not  only  lessons  bear- 
ing upon  my  daily  life  and  work  but  also 
revelations  concerning  God's  care  for  me 
and  His  plans  for  my  infinite  happiness? 
At  the  root  of  all  our  Christianity  lies  the 
certainty  of  immortality,  even  as  at  its 
centre  lies  the  redemption  of  Jesus  Christ. 
No  doubts.  More  an(j  more  the  Christian  wants  to 
hold  fast  to  and  accept  the  inspiration  of 
this  great  and  blessed  truth.  He  must 
never  suffer  himself  to  doubt.     He  must 


IMMORTALITY.  249 

take  the  great  words  of  Christ  and  of  the 
Bible  and  comfort  himself  with  them  un- 
ceasingly. He  must  picture  to  himself  the 
great  day  of  perfection  and  what  he  will  be 
and  do  when  at  last  the  victory  is  gained 
and  the  King  has  complete  control  of 
His  Kingdom.  And  he  must  bring  to 
others  in  their  sorrow  and  in  their  doubt 
the  strong  force  of  his  own  faith  so  that 
they,  buoyed  up  by  his  confidence,  may 
themselves  see  a  vision  and  be  brought  to 
the  certainty  of  God's  love  and  care. 

Finally,  let  it  be  remembered  that  im- 
mortality is  a  revelation  from  God  even 
as  it  is  to  be  His  gift.  Scientists  and  phi- 
losophers have  tried  and  tried  in  vain  to 
prove  immortality.  Lectures  have  been 
given  and  theories  have  been  advanced,  and 
even  scientific  experiments  carried  on  hav- 
ing as  their  object  the  answer  to  this  great 
human  question :  "  Shall  a  man  die  and 
live  again  ?  "  But,  like  all  the  wonderful 
truths  of  our  faith,  immortality  can  only 
be  known  as  the  soul  trusts  and  loves  and 
serves  and  believes  Jesus  Christ.  He  only 
can  say :  "  I  know  that  I  shall  live  forever, 
and  that  with  all  of  God's  people  I  shall 
enjoy  everlasting  felicity,"  who  in  his 
heart  gives  himself  to  Christ  and  tries  to 


250  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

do  what  He  asks.  So  that  the  Christian 
need  not  be  troubled  when  men  come  to 
him  and  cry :  "  Prove  to  us  what  you  believe 
concerning  eternal  life."  There  are  things 
which  are  beyond  proof  here  on  earth 
and  yet  we  know  they  are  true ;  so  it  is  with 
immortality. 

Dear  Lord,  I  thank  Thee  that  Thou 
hast  not  left  me  uncertain  concerning  what 
and  where  I  shall  be  when  I  die.  In  thine 
own  Book  and  by  Thy  blessed  words  Thou 
hast  made  clear  the  answer  which  satis- 
fies my  heart.  I  know  not  what  bliss 
awaits  me  there,  and  I  am  too  feeble  to 
understand  the  greatness  of  the  glory 
which  Thy  love  has  prepared ;  but  oh,  dear 
Master,  I  know  that  even  as  Thou  hast 
cared  for  me  from  my  creation,  so  Thou 
wilt  care  for  me  through  all  the  ages,  and 
in  Thee  have  I  put  my  trust.    Amen. 


CHAPTEK  XXIII. 

THE  JOY  OF  THE  CHRISTIAN. 

As  we  draw  now  to  the  end  of  this  sim-  Joj  in 
pie  declaration  concerning  the  faith  and  u{™ 
life  of  a  Christian  man  it  may  seem  to 
some  as  if  there  was  little  of  joy  in  that  life 
and  much  of  conflict  and  sorrow  and  suffer- 
ing. Indeed,  it  has  heen  too  often  the 
assertion  of  Christianity  that  in  this  world 
there  can  be  no  peace.  Men  have  set  their 
faces  like  a  flint  and  tried  to  go  through 
the  battle  with  no  idea  of  present  inspi- 
ration or  delight;  and  men  have  believed 
that  they  were  in  the  world  simply  to  get 
ready  to  die,  and  that  life  was  a  pilgrimage 
and  an  exile.  The  fuller  and  larger  view  of 
Christianity  certainly  dispels  any  such  idea 
as  that.  While  on  earth  we  cannot,  of 
course,  have  the  fulness  of  joy  which  shall 
be  hereafter,  and  while  in  the  midst  of 
struggle  there  must  be  pain  and  suffering; 
yet  the  true  Christian  rejoices  in  his  life 
here.  With  confidence  in  God  and  with  a 
251 


252  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

clear  understanding  of  his  relationship  to 
God  he  sees  beauties  everywhere  and  draws 
them  to  his  heart,  and  sucks  from  them  the 
consolation  which  God  intends  to  give  to 
His  children.  No  one  has  any  right  to 
laugh  save  the  Christian,  for  he  alone 
knows  what  joy  means.  No  one  can  really 
be  happy  but  the  Christian,  for  he  alone 
knows  the  meaning  of  happiness.  Into  all 
of  his  life  there  come  flashing  great  beams 
of  light,  and  there  come  throbbing  great 
assurances  of  love  which  fill  him  with  a 
consciousness  of  security  which  nothing 
can  destroy. 
Glory  of  The   glory    of   life — that   is   the    truth 

which  we  Christians  need  more  and  more 
to  learn.  Upon  what  is  this  glory  based  % 
Let  us  consider  for  a  moment. 

First,  we  know  what  our  life  means. 
We  know  whence  we  came,  and  whither  we 
are  going,  and  what  we  have  here  to  do,  so 
that  there  is  no  indefiniteness  in  our  ex- 
istence ;  and  from  the  very  clearness  of  our 
knowledge  we  draw  a  strength  which  is 
akin  to  delight.  The  Christian  man  alone 
can  say :  "I  know ;  "  and  in  knowledge 
there  is  not  only  power  but  comfort. 

Second,  the  Christian  has  an  unceasing 
association  with  his  Maker;  he  communes 


life. 


THE  JOY  OF  THE  CHRISTIAN.  253 

with  God  and  God  speaks  to  him.  He  is 
not  travelling  a  lonely  road  with  no  voice 
to  speak  and  no  hand  to  touch ;  he  is  in  con- 
stant association  with  the  Christ  Who  is 
■  with  him  all  the  days.  Therefore  he  has 
that  great  joy  which  always  comes  through 
association  with  the  highest  and  best.  A 
man  is  happy  when  he  is  with  his  friends 
— with,  those  whom  he  loves  and  can  trust ; 
how  much  happier  must  he  be  when  he 
knows  that  he  is  with  God  even  as  God  is 
with  him,  and  that  being  pure-hearted,  that 
is,  sincere,  he  can  already  see  God! 

And  third,  the  Christian  finds  in  his  Delight  in 
work  a  delight.  As  we  said  before  in 
speaking  of  service,  the  true  man  who  is 
healthy  in  spirit  loves  to  work.  He  knows 
what  work  means,  and  he  finds  a  delight 
in  doing  it  because  he  knows  what  it  means. 
Whether  it  be  the  daily  toil,  or  the  special 
effort  to  accomplish  some  desired  end,  or 
the  carrying  out  of  some  plan,  or  the  put- 
ting forth  of  some  definite  and  useful  thing 
j  for  the  pleasure  of  others,  all  work  becomes 
.'  a  delight  just  in  the  doing  of  it.  One  can 
measure  himself  as  well  as  his  Christianity 
pretty  accurately  just  by  asking  and  an- 
swering the  question :  "  Do  I  love  to  do 
the  things  which  I  am  trying  to  do  ?  " 


work. 


254  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

Joy  in  And  then  finally,  there  comes  a  joy  even 

in  sorrow,  because  the  Christian  knows  that 
sorrow  and  pain  have  their  uses  and  that 
without  them  he  could  not  be  made  what 
God  wishes  to  have  him  become.  We  will 
realize  at  last  that  which  we  cannot  per- 
fectly comprehend  here,  how  every  tear 
(and  that  is  what  God  means  when  He 
speaks  of  putting  our  tears  in  His  bottle), 
every  grief,  every  pain  has  had  a  wonder- 
ful part  in  fitting  us  for  the  glory  of  God's 
home.  It  is  a  poor  suggestion  that  suffer- 
ing and  pain  come  from  the  devil.  What- 
ever sufferings  do  come  as  a  result  of  Sa- 
tan's temptings,  we  may  be  sure  (and  this 
is  the  lesson  from  the  Book  of  Job) 
that  God  permits  them,  and  that  He  per- 
mits them  in  order  that  good  may  finally 
result.  He  who  uses  grief  aright  finds  a 
joy  which  cannot  be  measured  in  words  or 
described  even  in  the  richest  of  language. 
I  knew  a  man  who  had  prayed  for  days 
that  his  friend  might  be  delivered  from  a 
certain  evil.  At  last  a  message  came, 
and  it  told  him  that  the  evil  had  fallen 
upon  his  friend.  With  trembling  lips  he 
looked  up  and  said :  "  I  thank  Thee,  God !  " 
He  realized  that  God  answers  prayer,  but 
answers  it  in  the  best  way,  and  he  reasoned 


THE  JOY  OF  THE  CHRISTIAN.  255 

that  if  he  would  have  thanked  God  for  an 
answer  which  seemed  to  his  earthly  mind 
comforting,  how  much  more  should  he 
thank  God  for  that  which  seemed  at  the 
time  hard,  but  which  he  knew  would,  in 
the  providence  of  God,  become  a  blessing ! 
So  it  is  that  the  Christian  all  through  his 
life  finds  joy  even  in  sorrow,  and  rejoices 
in  tribulation. 

Should  the  Christian,  then,  it  is  asked,  Delights 
enter  with  a  free  heart  into  the  delights 
of  life  ?  Should  he  mingle  with  his 
friends  in  happiness  and  laughter,  and 
fling  himself  into  the  harmless  pleasures 
of  the  day  \  Should  he  rejoice  in  the  thrill- 
ing strength  of  his  body  and  in  the  pleas- 
ures of  love  and  in  the  riches  of  thought  ? 
The  answer  is,  most  certainly,  if  he  real- 
izes that  he  is  God's  child  and  that  God 
loves  him  and  that  he  longs  to  do  and  is 
trying  to  do  God's  work.  It  is  a  sin  for  the 
Christian  to  be  gloomy,  for  gloom  denies 
God's  word.  To  doubt  is  to  question 
God's  power;  to  be  happy  and  sing  while 
the  heart  relies  upon  God  is  to  prove  to  the 
King  Himself  and  to  those  about  us  that 
we  believe  the  great  truth  of  Christianity, 
and  that  that  truth  is  so  resplendent  that 
nothing  can  dim  its  brilliancy.     Of  course 


256  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

the  Christian  cannot,  it  goes  without  say- 
ing, enter  into  those  frivolities  which  are 
harmful  and  which  tend  to  degrade.  He 
must  draw  a  clear  distinction  between  real 
pleasures  and  apparent  pleasures.  But  on 
the  other  hand  he  must  prove  to  the  world 
the  joy  which  God  gives — a  joy  based  upon 
such  magnificent  truths  and  upheld  by  such 
absolute  assurances  that  nothing  can  take 
away  their  sustaining  character  and  their 
exhilarating  influence.  The  gloom  of  the 
Christian  bears  false  witness  to  the  truth 
of  Christ.  The  happiness  of  the  Chris- 
tian bears  witness  to  the  love  of  Christ. 
What  And  here  let  us  say  one  word  more.    We 

anityis.  mus^  always  remember  that  Christianity 
is  not  merely  living  a  life  but  it  is  a 
close  relationship  to  the  King  of  life. 
How  can  I  live  near  to  my  King  and  not 
be  happy?  How  can  I  hear  His  gracious 
words  and  not  rejoice  ?  How  can  I  do 
His  work  which  He  has  called  me  to  do, 
and  so  honored  me,  and  not  be  glad  ?  It  is 
all  very  well  for  a  Christian  to  keep  him- 
self from  sin  and  to  work  righteousness, 
but  if  he  has  not  constantly  springing  up 
in  his  soul  a  consciousness  of  the  near- 
ness of  his  Best  Friend  and  does  not  find 


THE  JOY  OF  THE  CHRISTIAN.  257 

in  that  consciousness  an  eternal  sunshine, 
then  he  is  not  drawing  from  Christ's  life 
that  which  he  ought,  and  he  is  not  proving 
by  his  Christianity  the  fulness  and  large- 
ness of  God's  great  love. 

Mrs.  Browning's  lines  should  be  the  ex- 
pression of  every  man's  feeling: 

"  And  I  smiled  to  think  God's  goodness  flowed 
around  our  incompleteness: 
Round  our  restlessness  His  rest." 

Dear  Lord,  help  me  to  rejoice  in  Thee. 
"No  matter  how  cast  down  I  may  be,  no 
matter  how  seemingly  dark  my  way,  no 
matter  how  I  may  suffer,  no  matter  how 
weary  I  may  be  in  the  midst  of  my  toil, 
help  me  to  look  up  and  see  Thy  face,  and 
rejoice  in  the  light  of  Thy  countenance. 
Till  me  with  the  most  blessed  assurance  of 
Thy  love  and  care.  Inspire  me  with  the 
highest  enthusiasm  to  do  the  will  of  One 
Who  loves  me  so.  Let  me  rejoice  just  in 
the  living,  the  breathing,  the  seeing,  the 
speaking.  Let  me  rejoice  in  my  friend- 
ships which  are  sanctified  by  Thee.  Let 
me  be  glad  to  bear  Thy  cross  after  Thee, 
and  let  me  be  filled  with  comfort  as  I 
think  not  only  of  Thy  present  grace  but  of 


258  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

the  glory  which  at  last  shall  come  when  I 
see  Thee  face  to  face,  and  with  my  dear 
ones  enter  into  Thine  eternal  home. 
Amen. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

CONCLUSION. 

We  have  tried  in  this  little  book  to  ex- 
press simply  and  categorically,  without 
going  into  the  proofs,  which  would  make 
the  book  too  large,  the  great  principles  of 
the  Christian  life.  As  we  turn  away  there 
are  certain  conclusions  which  come  to  us, 
and  which  we  may  well  express  in  a  clos- 
ing word. 

And  the  first  is  this,  that  after  all,  the  The  only 
only  life  worth  living  is  the  Christian  life.  e* 
Even  as  Christianity  has  made  the  world 
what  it  is  and  is  destined  to  make  it  what 
God  would  have  it  be,  so  to  the  individual 
it  brings  a  strength  and  a  power  which  can 
be  found  in  no  other  way  and  which  can 
never  fail.  To  make  a  man  a  Christian  is 
to  bring  him  into  a  newness  of  living  which 
cannot  be  described  to  him,  but  which  he 
will  acknowledge  when  once  he  has  intelli- 
gently taken  his  place  amongst  God's  peo- 
ple. Oh,  the  blessedness  of  a  Christian 
259 


THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

life !  No  matter  how  imperfect  the  Chris- 
tian may  know  himself  to  be,  no  matter 
how  he  may  be  encompassed  by  infirmities 
and  perplexed  by  problems,  this  great, 
glowing,  human  existence  upon  which  the 
light  of  Christ  shines  becomes  so  real  and 
holy  that  nothing  can  dampen  or  darken  it. 

Shared  If  the  Christian  really  feels  this,   and 

others.  g°es  on  m  *ne  richness  of  this  assurance, 
then  he  will  want  to  do  all  that  he  can  to 
bring  others  into  the  joy  which  he  has 
found.  Certainly  the  conclusion  which  the 
true  Christian  comes  to  very  readily  is  that 
he  must  do  all  he  can  in  every  way  and  at 
every  opportunity  to  make  men  believe  in 
and  follow  Jesus  Christ.  We  are  the  wit- 
nesses of  the  Master,  and  we  are  sent  out 
by  Him  to  tell  others  of  the  good  which  He 
has  brought  to  us.  The  Christian  church 
denies  its  birth  and  refuses  its  natural 
blessedness  when  it  is  not  essentially  mis- 
sionary. If  these  great  truths  which  we 
have  been  considering  amount  to  anything, 
we  cannot,  we  dare  not,  keep  them  to  our- 
selves. 

Bond  of  r^n(j  ^en  we  must  remember  how  won- 

umty.  , 

derfully  Christianity  binds  men  together; 

how  it  heals  wounds  and  covers  up  hostili- 
ties, and  makes  one  long,  above  all  else,  to 


CONCLUSION. 

establish  peace.  The  Master  is  called  the 
"  Prince  of  Peace."  The  angels  sang  the 
song  at  His  birth:  "  Peace,  good  will 
toward  men."  In  Palestine  was  born  the* 
new  word,  "brotherhood."  So  the  Chris- 
tian in  his  friendships  and  in  his  associa- 
tion with  men  wherever  he  is  and  however 
he  may  be  situated,  always  feels  within  him 
that  love  for  his  brothers  which  can  never 
die.  Men  may  hate  him  and  abuse  him, 
but  he  will  pray  for  them  and  keep  on 
loving  them.  Men  may  go  about  to  kill 
him,  even,  in  the  wildness  of  their  blind- 
ness, but  he  will,  like  his  Master,  say: 
"  Father,  forgive  them ;  for  they  know  not 
what  they  do."  His  heart  will  go  out  to 
little  children ;  his  sympathies  will  be 
touched  by  the  sicknesses  and  sorrows  of 
his  fellows ;  his  hand  will  be  stretched  out 
to  lift  up  the  fallen.  His  desire  to  help 
will  be  so  much  stronger  than  his  spirit  of 
criticism  that  even  where  he  might  find 
fault  he  will  feel  himself  overflowing  with 
graciousness.  Never  must  this  great  fact 
be  forgotten  by  the  Christian;  in  the  ful- 
ness of  that  which  has  come  to  him,  he 
must  go  out  and  bless  men. 

And  then  finally,  let  us  remember  that 
we  are  to  keep  our  eyes  ever  upon  the 


261 


262  THE  FAITH  AND  LIFE  OF  A  CHRISTIAN. 

Vision  of     vision  of  that  which  is  to  be.     We  have 

what  is 

to  be.  dwelt  upon  this  before.  Let  it  be  our 
final  thought.  As  we  work  and  worship,  as 
we  endure  and  are  patient,  as  we  rejoice  and 
are  glad,  we  must  ever  lift  up  our  eyes  to 
that  great  day  towards  which  Christianity 
points  and  of  whose  coming  it  is  the  evi- 
dence, when  God  shall  say  concerning  each 
child  and  concerning  His  whole  creation: 
"It  is  very  good."  That  day  is  coming; 
the  Christian  can  see  it  by  faith.  Already 
its  glad  music  comes  floating  over  the  sea  of 
time.  Through  the  surging  contests  and 
through  the  cries  of  battle  it  sounds  its 
clear  note  of  assurance.  In  the  lonely 
hours  of  the  night  it  sings  its  song.  In 
the  active  labors  of  the  day  it  gives  its 
strong  tone.  Oh,  the  joy  of  knowing  that 
there  is  a  great  day  coming  when  imper- 
fect things  shall  be  made  perfect;  when 
eyes  shall  be  opened,  and  the  heart's  long- 
ings satisfied,  and  the  struggle  rewarded, 
and  the  King  Himself  shall  stand  forth 
in  all  His  glory  saying :  "  Come,  ye  blessed 
of  my  Father!" 

"  O  sweet  and  blessed  country, 
The  home  of  God's  elect ! 
O  sweet  and  blessed  country 
That  eager  hearts  expect! 


CONCLUSION.  263 

Jesus,  in  mercy  bring  us 
To  that  dear  land  of  rest; 
Who  art,  with  God  the  Father, 
And  Spirit,  ever  blest." 

O  God;  Who  hast  prepared  for  those  who 
love  Thee  such  good  things  as  pass  man's 
understanding,  pour  into  our  hearts  such 
love  towards  Thee  that  we,  loving  Thee 
above  all  things,  may  attain  Thy  promises 
which  exceed  all  that  we  can  desire. 
Through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord.  Amen. 
(From  the  P.  E.  Prayer  Booh.) 


INDEX 


All  are  brethren,  51, 103, 104 

All  sanctified  in  consecration,  187 

Amusements,  the  Christian  and, 

255 
Attendance,  at  church  services,  152 

Bible.  The,  132-141;  God's  revela- 
tion, 133;  genuine,  134;  devotional 
use  of,  136-138 ;  in  our  need.  138, 
139;  refreshes,  139;  learned  by 
heart,  139 ;  messages  to  me,  140 

Blessings,  in  need,  156 ;  of  public 
worship,  158 

Body,  The,  193-200;  a  temple,  193; 
care  of,  194;  its  development, 
195 ;  in  worship,  196 ;  sound  mind 
in  sound,  197;  sin,  enemy  of,  198; 
love  for,  199 

Books,  good  and  bad,  207 

Brethren,  Christians  as,  51,  104 

Brother,  Christ  our,  50 

Brotherhood,  of  Christ,  50,  51 ;  of 
men,  103, 104 

Burdens,  bearing  and  sharing,  107 


duties  of,  115-121 ;  a  place  for  edu- 
cation, 116 ;  open  daily,  157 

Common  duties,  186 

Compassion,  86 

Conclusion,  259 

Conflict,  mental,  205 ;  helps  in  the, 
231 

Consecration,  181-192;  what  it  is, 
181 ;  a  complete  giving,  182 ;  fills 
the  whole  life,  185;  brings  har- 
mony, 187 ;  sanctifies  all,  187 ;  joy- 
ous power  of,  188 ;  makes  every- 
thing holy,  189;  hymn,  190 

Culture,  74 

Definite  object  of  Christian  work, 

64 
Delight  in  Christian  service,  84 
Desire,  the  Christian's,  108 
Despondency,  77 
Divorce,  deplored,  146 
Doing  and  knowing,  67 
Duty,  186,  209 

Employers  and  employees,  97 
Endurance,  Christian,  77, 


Capital  and  labor,  97 

Care  for  those  we  serve.88 

Christ,  The  Centre,  15-27 ;  redemp- 
tive power  of,  33;  the  Saviour, 
37,  45 ;  without  Him,  what  ? — 45 ; 
the  Intercessor,  48;  our  Example, 
49 ;  our  Brother,  50 ;  our  Friend, 
52;  our  life,  54;  person  of,  56; 
real,  65 

Christ's  relationship  to  man,  42- 
55 

Christian,  the,  as  salt,  93 ;  as  shep- 
herd, 119 ;  how  helped,  124 ;  joy 
of,  251-258 

Christian  life,  perplexity  in,  10;  its 
meaning  to  the  individual,  65; 
how  helped,  124;  characteristics 
of  the,  171 ;  the  only  life,  171,  259 

Christian  work,  62-65,  115-121 

Christian  worship,  152-160 

Christianity,  spasmodic,  128 ;  what 
it  really  is,  256;  a  bond  of  unity,  I  Giving,  155, 172 
260  I  Glory  of  life,  the,  252 

Church,  the,  102;  what  it  is,  111;  ,  God,  as  power,  30;  fatherhood  of, 
life,  111-122 ;  unity,  115 ;  members,  !     34;    deeper    knowledge    of,    66; 

265 


Eternal  life,  242;  preparation  for, 

246;  in  worship,  247 
Evil,  hatred  of,  74 ;  fighting,  85 
Example,  Christ  our,  49;  the  Chris- 
tian an,  91 

Family  prayer,  146 
Father  and  child,  36 
Fatherhood  of  God,  34 
Fellowship,  the  life  of.  102-110 
Fighting,  our  battles,  78,  224 ;  evils, 

85 
Foreigners,  96 
Friend,  Christ  our,  52 ;  earthly,  52, 

53 
Fulness  of  fellowship,  109 
Future  glory  and  temptation,  230 
Future  life,  hope  of,  25,  242;  prep- 
aration for,  246 


266 


INDEX. 


keeping  near  to,  77;  taught  of, 
117;  works,  129;  speaking,  132; 
first,  183;  knows  our  temptations, 
226 

God's  child,  28;  mercy,  31;  will 
and  goodness,  70;  voice  to  the 
soul,  222 

Gospel  message,  11;  need  of  the, 
12 

Grace,  means  of,  123 ;  efficiency  of, 
126 ;  from  God,  159 

Growth,  moral,  measure  of,  73 

Guides  and  workers,  church  mem- 
bers as,  113, 115 

Hatred  of  evil,  74 

Helps,  for  the  Christian,  124 ;  in  the 

conflict.  231 
Hope,  233-240;   of  the  future,  25; 

results  of,  26;   sees  ideals,  100; 

what  it  is,  233 ;  a  power,  234 ;  in 

Christ,  236 ;  how  it  helps,  238 
Human  relationship,  23 

Immortality,  241-250;  of  the  soul, 
214;  no  doubts  concerning,  248; 
a  revelation  from  God,  249 

Intercessor,  Christ  our,  48 

Interpreter,  Jesus  the,  16 

Jesus  (see  Christ). 
Joy,  of  sacrifice,  178 ;  of  the  Chris- 
tian, 251-258 ;  in  pain,  254 

Keeping  near  to  God,  77 
Knowledge  of  God,  66 

Law,  of  the  spirit,  125 ;  of  sacrifice, 
171 

Life,  future,  25,  241,  246;  new,  in 
Christ,  39  •  the  moral,  70-80 ;  prob- 
lems hard,  75;  the  fuller,  79;  of 
service,  81-89 ;  of  fellowship,  102- 
110;  eternal,  242;  glory  of,  252; 
delights  of,  255:  the  only,  259; 
shared  with  others,  260 

Light,  of  the  world,  18 ;  and  life,  35 

Living,  thrill  of,  179;  with  Christ, 
244 

Lord's  Day,  The,  152 

Lord's  Supper,  The,  161-170;  how 
instituted,  161 ;  what  it  means, 
163;  what  it  recalls,  164;  meets 
our  needs,  167;  ever  to  be  ob- 
served, 169 

Love,  for  God,  71;  of  our  Lord, 
164 ;  for  the  body.  199 

Loving  God  with  the  soul,  214 

Man,  God's  child  through  Christ, 
■2§-41 ;  brotherhood  of,  103,  104 

Matfs  relationship  to  Christ,  56-69 

Meaning  of  Christian  life  to  the 
individual,  65 

Means  of  grace,  the,  123-131 


Measure  of  moral  growth,  73 

Meditation,  209 

Members,  church,  115-121 

Mental  conflicts,  205 

Message  of  the  Gospel,  11 

Mind,  The,  202-212;  sound,  in  sound 
body,  197 ;  for  God,  202 ;  in  har- 
mony, 203 ;  cultivation  of,  204 

Ministers  human,  154 

Money,  use  of,  177 

Moore,  Thomas,  quoted,  106 

Moral  life,  the,  70-80 ;  God's  bless- 
ing, 70 ;  growth  in,  73 

Morality  should  be  enforced,  76 

Mother  and  child,  186 

Need  of  Gospel,  12 
New  life  in  Christ,  39 

Obedience,  59 

Object  of  Christian  work,  64 ;  of  the 

church,  76 
Our  Saviour,  37,  45 

Patience,  86 

Perplexity,  in  Christian  life,  10 

Person  of  Christ,  56 

Pleasure,  the  Christian  and,  255 

Political  life,  98 

Poor  and  rich,  95 

Prayer,  142-149 ;  in  private,  144 ;  fam- 
ily, 146;  in  public,  146;  for  ene- 
mies, 147 ;  always,  148 ;  use  of,  177 

Preparation  for  future  life,  246 

Problems  of  life  hard,  75 

Public  life,  90-101 ;  two  sides  of,  91 

Public  worship,  150-160 

Purity,  94 

Purpose,  single,  of  Christian,  184 

Reading,  discriminate,  207 
Redemptive  power  of  Christ,  33 
Regularity  at  church  services,  152 
Revelation  of  God,  Bible  the,  133 
Rich  and  poor,  95 
Right,  and  wrong.  21  •  judgment, 
74 ;  position,  90 ;  thinking,  210 

Sacrifice,  171-180;  and  the  cross, 
174;  is  not  gloom,  174;  specific, 
177 ;  joy  of,  178 

Salvation,  three  parts  of,  45; 
through  Christ,  45-55 

Sanctiflcation,  in  consecration,  187 

Saviour,  Christ  our,  37,  45 

Seeking  and  saving,  118 

Service  for  Christ,  62 ;  definite  ob- 
ject of,  64 ;  twofold,  81 ;  life  of, 
81-89 ;  how  rendered,  83 :  delight 
in,  84 ;  difficult,  but  not  hard,  84 

Shepherd,  the  Christian  a,  119 

Sin,  47 ;  enemy  of  body,  198 

Single  purpose  of  the  Christian,  184 

Socialism,  true,  24 

Sonship  and  service,  34 


INDEX. 


267 


Soul,  The,  213-223;  in  God's  pres- 
ence, 215;  aspiration  of,  216:  com- 
munion of,  with  God,  217 ;  fellow- 
ship, 219 ;  stains,  221 ;  God's  voice 
to  the,  222 

Spasmodic  Christianity,  128 

Specific  sacrifices,  177 

Spirit,  Holy,  79,  91, 117, 129, 134, 193, 
220 ;  of  service,  81-89 ;  of  oneness, 
104 ;  law  of  the,  125 

Stalker,  Dr.,  cited,  238 

Sunday  observance,  152, 153 

Sunday-school  teacher,  spirit  of,  120 

Taught  of  God,  117 

Teaching,  spirit  of  Sunday-school, 
120 

Telling  our  needs  to  God,  145 

Temple  worship,  151 

Temptations,  224-232;  from  with- 
out, 224;  from  within,  225;  to  all, 
225 ;  resisted  make  us  better,  227 ; 
meeting,  227 ;  met  by  Scripture, 
228;  undismayed  by,  229;  tri- 
umph over,  231 

Thinking,  sensible.  210 

Three  questions,  94 

Thrill  of  living  for  others,  179 


Till  He  come,  166 

Time,  use  of,  176 

Trust,  57 

Truth,  the  Christian  firm  for,  119 

ppy 

God,  114 
Union  with  Christ,  60 
Upper  Room,  The,  163 
Use,  of  the  Bible,  136 ;  of  time,  176 ; 

of  money,  177 ;  of  prayer,  177 

Virtue,  tokens  of,  176 

Vision  of  that  which  is  to  be,  262 

Voting,  99 

Watson,    John    (Ian    Maclaren), 

quoted,  164 
Wilberforce,  quoted,  74 
Work,  not  ease,  63 ;  definite  object 

of,  64  ;  delight  in,  84,  253  ;  taking 

part  in  all,  116 
Workers,  church  members  as,  113, 

115 
World,  making  it  better,  72;   its 

struggle,  92 
Worship,  public,  150-160;  Joining 

in,  154 ;  blessing  of,  156, 158 


